


In for the Long Haul

by Justoneshadow



Category: markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Engagement, Eventual Smut, F/M, Happy Ending, Mario Kart, Mild Language, Pregnancy, Puppies, Unplanned Pregnancy, Weddings, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-10 02:57:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 31,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5568157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justoneshadow/pseuds/Justoneshadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Reader has been living with Markiplier (Mark) for a year. This is their life on a daily occurrence from video games to who makes dinner. After the Reader uploads a vlog, people start to talk about the two of them and rumors start to spread and soon the secret is out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blue looks great on you

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Youtuber/Reader fic, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, I will try to keep a consistent update schedule. Forgive me if I disappear for a while.

“Man!” You shout, tossing your Xbox controller onto the ground in rage. “Fuck you! I wasn’t even in your line of vision! God damned button was stuck!” You continue to yell, flicking the television off every so often. Something you had picked up from your best friend. 

“Hey, you alright? I heard you yelling from the recording room.” He asked, padding into the room. “Oh, you were mad at the game.” A small smirk formed on his lips. “You’re lucky I wasn’t recording yet. Or they would have heard you.” 

You flicked him off (not in a mean way). “Fuck you, Mark. And let me wallow in my disgrace. Stupid ass mission is so fucking stupid!” You kick the controller to the side with the heel of your foot. 

“How about taking a break? Take a nice warm bath? Or drink some tea?” He suggested, heading to the kitchen. 

“No, I just need your cuddles. Also, if you let me play with your hair everything will be fine.” You give him a sly smile, watching him as he headed back to the living room. 

“Why are you so obsessed with my blue hair?” Mark asked, sitting down in front of you. 

“Mm, maybe because blue looks great on you? I dunno. It just looks amazing.” You lean forward and run your hands through his dyed hair. It was soft and silky. Something you loved about him. 

A comfortable silence fell amongst the two of you. It was something that happened often. But neither of you minded it. 

How had any of this happened? It wasn’t a long story and it wasn’t a cute one either. You had met Mark at a party with a mutual friend and hit it off instantly. The two of you became quick friends. However, it soon become something other than being friends. Sometimes it was sexual. Sometimes it wasn’t. Most of the time it was just cuddles and light kisses. 

“Have you calmed down yet?” His husky voice broke you out of your small trance. 

“Yeah, sorry about that, Mark. I didn’t mean to freak you out.” You leaned forward completely and rested your chin on his shoulder. 

His cologne was still strong but it was comforting. And his hair tickled your cheek. “Maybe you should lay off the mission based games for a while.” 

“Whaaaat? Are you crazy? Those fucked are my life.” You heard him chuckle. “For today I’ll stop playing. Instead, how about we plug in the Super Nintendo and play Mario Kart?” 

He turned his head slightly, his hair tickling your nose. “Fuck yeah. You know I’m going to beat your ass at it.” 

You quickly kissed his cheek before standing up to find the gaming system. “Loser has to make dinner as always.” You wagered. 

“Is that it? You lost last time, so I think I’ll win again. Plus your cooking is the best.” Mark admitted, tugging at his lucky flannel. 

“I’m not going to lose. And that’s a promise. Why? Because in all the time we’ve been friends and roommates, I’ve always been the one to cook. And I’m starting to think you don’t know how to cook.” 

He made a noise of disapproval. “I am hurt you made that assumption about me.” He got up and opened the drawers to grab the controllers. “How about… no matter who wins, I make dinner? Just this once.” 

“You just want to prove that you know how to cook.” You stated, glancing at him. “Which just means that you have something up your sleeve.” 

Lugging the game system back to the television stand, you start connecting it. “I’m not sure that’s a bad thing though. Your surprised are the best of course.” 

Last time Mark surprised you was Christmas. It wasn’t over the top but it was enough to throw you over the edge. You both had agreed not to get each other gifts, and of course his mind was somewhere else. The bedroom in fact. Needless to say, no videos were recorded that day. Mostly because you kept pulling him back to bed, begging, whining for more. Which he happily complied. By the end of the day, both of you were covered in bruises and sweat. It was a very productive day of course. 

“If you’re thinking it’s going to be anything like Christmas. You’re wrong. However, I will point out that I don’t need a special occasion to make you feel good.” He said, giving you his version of a smolder. 

Stopping what you were doing, you look back at him. It took every nerve in your body not to laugh. “Gee, Clarence. You really know how to make a girl’s nethers quiver.” 

 

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" You shouted, debating whether or not to throw the controller yet again. You had chosen Yoshi because of your love over the little green dinosaur. But it seemed that today, your love for him was not doing much for you. All the other characters were racing past you, throwing all kinds of omens your direction. "Fuck you Yoshi!" This was going to be the last time you chose Yoshi as your racer. 

Mark snickered as he raced past you. "I hope you remember that either way, I am going to make dinner. Or end up buying it. Losing isn't too bad." 

"No! It's not that. I have my pride! Don't you understand! I can't be in last place!" But you were and for the entire night you were probably going to be grumpy. 

Sighing in defeat, you toss the controller onto the coffee table. "Fine, you win. You're buying or 'making' dinner." You tucked you legs underneath yourself. "Surprise me. In the meantime I'm going to wash the smell of failure off me." You muttered the part about you taking a shower. 

Your showers took more no more than half an hour. Especially when you were contemplating that humiliating round of Mario Kart. You were fairly certain Mark had forgotten you even existed since you had made no noise. "Just a stupid game...." You muttered, turning off the water and wringing your hair. 

The habit of making a game a big deal was something you had picked up from Mark, especially when he played the more frustrating ones. It always got a laugh from you. Lost in your thoughts, you stepped out of the shower and had barely grabbed the towel when the door swung open and a certain blue haired male stood in the doorway. "Uhhhhh.." Was all that escaped his mouth. 

Playfully, you rolled your eyes. You had seen each other naked about a week after moving in together. "Take a picture. It'll last longer." You said in a teasing voice, wrapping the towel around your body. He muttered an apology before backing away and closing the door. A laugh escaped your lips. You were going to have to tease him about it at the dinner table.


	2. Marrying the Chicken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a good track record so far! I hope you guys are enjoying it. If you have any ideas for chapters, let me know!
> 
> For updates and just random stuff, you can find me on my tumblr.  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/beautiful-creators

After drying yourself off, you changed into you pajamas which consisted of anything comfortable. Today it was a blue tank with Mickey Mouse on it and a pair of black shorts. 

“I still have a vlog to record.” You muttered to yourself, grabbing your handheld camera from the nightstand. You prepped it and hit record. 

“Hey guys! Sorry for the late vlog. I hope yall are having a great day. If not, I hope it gets better!” You give the camera a smile before opening your bedroom door (which was also Mark’s but no one needed to know). “I lost today at Mario Kart. Big surprised right? Pretty sure it was rigged. But I don’t have to cook dinner for once.” You pushed your unkempt hair from your face. “Let’s go see what’s for dinner.” You said softly, padding into the kitchen, switching the view of the camera. 

“Hey, I hope you’re not mad at me- oh, you're vlogging.” Mark’s smile fell. It was going to be one of those days. “Get the camera out of my face. Please, ___.” 

“Right right, Mister Grumpy. What did you make?” You turned the camera’s attention to the stove. There was chicken in a pan. Garlic chicken to be exact. “Yeees, this is a dinner for a winner. I think I’m in love.” Mark shot a glance at you. “With the chicken I mean. Mind if I marry it?”

He snorted and shook his head. “You can do whatever you want.” His voice was deep, either upset that you shoved the camera in his face or because you said you wanted to marry the chicken instead of him.

Turning off the camera, you kissed his shoulder. “I hope you know I was kidding. The chicken can only make me oh so happy.” You stated, reaching up to grab two plates.

“Have you ever thought about what would happen if the audience were to put two and two together?” He asked, turning the stove off. “I mean, it could get ugly. You know how the fandom can get.”

“I know, but I-we haven’t said or done anything to get them to come up with rumors. Right now, it just seems like we’re hanging out, having fun, playing Mario Kart. Nothing wrong with that. Plus, they haven’t scared me off yet.”

Most of the time when you vlogged, you were out with friends and that took care of it. It was rare that you vlogged into the night. 

“People ship us, you know? They fight over our ship name too. They’ve even speculated if I was pregnant a few time.” His eyes widened. “Which I’m not, that was when I came down with a stomach bug a few months back.” You patted your tummy for effect. “No babies in here.”

A small smile formed on his lips. “I love you, you know?” He kissed the top of your head. “Even if it means hiding it from the world. Just for a little bit more.”

A hum of appreciation left your lips. “I know Mark. I love you too. But we should eat before the food gets cold. Are we having rice with it as well?” Picked up the camera to start vlogging again.

“Just because I’m Asian? Is that a joke?” He faked disappointment. The rice cooker on the counter dinged. “Yes. Of course we’re having rice you dingus.”

After giving the camera a good view of the chicken, rice, and steamed vegetables, the both of you sat down to a quiet dinner. A moan escaped your throat when you had your first taste. “This is amazing.” You covered your first mouth to speak.

Mark gave you a triumphant smile. “Your boyfriend knows how to cook. Who is awesome? I am!”

“You’re right. My boyfriend can cook. Makes me wonder where he is right now. He’d totally love this meal.”

He placed a hand above his heart. “Since when have you been seeing this guy? Am I the second guy?” His over exaggeration caused you to laugh.

The rest of dinner went by with idle chatter. Dishes were washed and put back. The kitchen was silent until Mark broke it. “I have a convention coming up soon.”

You dried your hands, glancing up at him. “You mean the one on the East coast? What was it called again? Momocon?”

“Yeah, that’s it. It’s in Atlanta. I was hoping you would go. After all, you are my guest, my unnamed guest.”

You headed to the living room to grab your tablet. “It’s in May right?” You opened up your calendar. “Mmm, I’m busy for the first few weeks. But I’ll be free after that. I’ll reschedule collab videos.” You said, glancing at him. “But why the sudden need for me to go? You don’t have anything planned, do you?”

“You’ll find out when we get there.” A smirk formed on his lips. Your stomach turned, curious and afraid of what he was planning.

“Maybe I should marry the chicken…” You muttered, heading to the bedroom.

“Don’t worry! It won’t be something bad! I’m sure you’ll be very happy with the results!” He called after you. 

“I’m already worrying! The chicken wouldn’t make me worry!”

“We ate the chicken, ___. Sadly. But you weren’t too sad, stuffing your face with it.”

You groaned, crawling onto the bed and pulling your laptop onto you lap to edit the vlog. “Don’t remind me please? I’m sad I didn’t marry it before it was too late.”


	3. Overworking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this one up at work. Thank god the holiday season is over! Since I'm off for the next two days, you guys might get twice as many chapters.

Halfway through editing the vlog, you somehow managed to fall asleep. Not that you could help it. You were lacking sleep. Running back and forth to fill collab videos with other Youtubers then having to edit those going on your channel and recording your vlogs. 

Normally Mark would wake you up, but he let you sleep in. Knowing that you could use the sleep. Taking your laptop from your lap, he finished editing the video. Adding his own flair here and there. The viewers were sure to pick up on that. Not to mention that he ended the vlog out for you. 

“Guy, ___, fell asleep a short while after dinner which means she didn’t end the vlog. So I’m doing her the favor of doing it.” He panned the camera to your sleeping form. “See? Fell asleep. Can’t wake her up though.” He turned the camera back to himself. “That’s it for today. I hope all of you have a great day. Buh-byeeee.” He waved at the camera, glancing at you as you stirred.

After much needed sleep, you woke up to Mark pacing the living room on the phone. Probably collabs or cons. Giving him a small smile, you move past him and into the kitchen.  
Mark followed you, kissing your temple. Mouthing that it was about a meeting. Giving a nod, you grabbed a bowl and a packet of oatmeal, trying not to make too much noise.

“Right. No, I understand. I’ll get to that right away.” He said, nodding. “This afternoon? Yeah, sure. I can do that. Hope you don’t mind if I bring a guest.”

You glanced at him quickly. “Lil ol’ me?” You ripped the pack open and poured the oatmeal into the bowl.

“Thank you. We’ll be over this afternoon.” Mark hung up, smiling a bit. “The challenges me and the guys were filming with Mathias was moved to the afternoon.”

“You realize you don’t have to take me everywhere? I’m not a bunny who will die of loneliness.” You stated, filling a kettle with water. “I promise.”

You could feel Mark’s puppy dog eyes and the pout. “Please? You don’t want to see your boyfriend make a fool of himself?”

Rolling your eyes, you turned to face him. “I see that happen or hear it everyday. You’re already a fool in my eyes.”

“Matt and Ryan are going to be there. And one of them is the duct tape challenge.” That was all you needed to hear. Those three words won you over. 

“You guys are going to loose. Badly. I’ve seen Team Edge’s videos. J-Fred is a beast.” You muttered. “I can already hear Matt’s high pitched screams. Like a goddamn monster.” A smile formed on your face. “Maybe we should-“

“We’re not calling Ghostbusters or The Winchesters.” He said, cutting your thought in half. 

“Dammit,” You grabbed the kettle off the stove and poured the warm water over the oatmeal.

You didn’t even notice the car ride. As soon as you got into the back, you passed out, sleeping the entire ride. It was only until you felt a hand run through your hair that you woke up.

“Wake up sleepyhead, we’re here. I’d ask Mathias if you could borrow one of their rooms but they’re having the house painted.”

You groaned softly in response, refusing to get up. “I’ll sleep outside.” You managed to day. “Away from the camera of course.” Rubbing your eyes, Mark unbuckled you.

“Come on sleepyhead, we can’t keep them waiting. Most because we’re filming challenges for both the channels.”  
That earned another groan from you but you understood. The more time you spent outside, the less time they had to record. “Okay.” You grabbed your backpack and slid out the car.

Honestly, you had lost count how many challenges they had filmed. Even though it was your day off, you spent the day editing smaller videos. 

“Did I upload last night?” You muttered to yourself, going to your channel and checking. The video was up. Quickly, you glanced at Mark before glancing back down at your screen. “That sly dog…” You clicked on the video and jumped around, checking to see if everything was correct.  
Of course, you didn’t fail to catch that Mark had ended the video out for you and the special effects. Now you were curious to what the comments were saying and if they caught onto the sudden change.

Some of the viewers were saying it was sweet of Mark to end the video out for you and that it was a cute sight. There was a small feud on what the ship name would be. Then one comment caught your attention.

“Are you guys stupid or what? They’re totally banging! Look at the way he looks at her!” Okay, maybe it wasn’t a good idea. Others came to your defense saying that you were just good friends who hung out a lot.

“What are you looking at?” Mark asked, leaning over to look at your screen. “Oh, seems like that one is smart.”  
“They’re going to add two and two together. It’s only a matter of time that the threats start coming in.”

He patted your shoulder. “You’ll be fine. You haven’t let any comments get to you yet. You’re my strong willed dingus.” He kissed your temple which prompted several gags from the other guys.

“We’re going to have to bring it to light at some point. I hope you do realize that.” You said softly, grabbing your bottle of water from its resting place by your foot. “I can just see the responses from both sides. But I think that just as long as someone supports us, I think we’ll be fine.” You scrunched up your nose.

“And that is why I love you.” Mark grabbed your laptop and closed it. “But I can’t love an dead person who overworked themselves.”

“Actually, you can. It’s called Necrophilia.”


	4. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm whipping out chapters like it's nothing! I'm glad I haven't let this die down! 
> 
> Feedback is appreciated guys!

Once the two of you returned, you went straight to making dinner. Fried shrimps and a side of kimchi, upon Mark’s request. But halfway through dinner, something started feeling off.

Your appetite had dwindled to almost nothing and you felt nauseous. Putting your fork down you looked at your boyfriend. 

“You okay?” He asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.   
Giving a weak nod, you replied, “I think. But I should probably turn in early. I might be coming down with something.” You admitted.

“Go on ahead. I’ll put everything up. Take some medicine and get ready for bed.” He gave you a small smile.

Giving another nod, you pushed your plate to the side, excusing yourself silently. Getting up was the hardest part. Your body felt heavy and just gross in general.

After taking two steps, you felt your stomach turn. Quickly you made your way to the bathroom and emptied the contents in your stomach into the toilet.

“____!” Mark’s fork clattered to the plate as he hurried to your side. Once he was by your side, he rubbed your back and held your hair. “Let it all out..” He said in a soothing manner.

As soon as the incident passed, you flushed the toilet and rubbed your cheek. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” In which mark shook his head.

“___, you’re taking tomorrow off. I want you to focus on getting better. I’ll take over everything. I’ll even ask Matt for help.” 

Standing up, you made your way to the sink to rinse your mouth out. “Normally I’d say no to that, but I feel like complete shit. And I don’t have the energy to put up a small fight.”

Mark rubbed your back again. “Get changed. I’ll make you some tea and tuck you in.”

His affection was the only thing that gave you energy. “I’ll get changed, but I’m going to hang out in the living room. Maybe binge watch something.” Mark nodded to that. 

“I’ll join you with the rest of my dinner.” The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. “I’ll wait on you hand and foot until you feel better.”

 

“We haven’t had time to.. you know.” Mark rolled his hands. “So we can knock that out. Right?”

You glare at him as you grabbed a tank from the drawers. “Yes, I’m sure! I may be busy, but I’m not that busy to forget. Either way, we’ve talked about this. No babies.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a baby…” He muttered, looking around the room.

“Mark, honey. Now is not the time to have the baby talk. We can have that talk later. Not when I feel like shit, of course.”

It couldn’t have been a cold or the flu. You didn’t have a fever or any other symptoms. Could it have been something you ate?

“For lunch we went to that pizza place right?” You asked. Mark looked back at you. 

“Yeah, do you think that caused you to feel ill?” He asked, the worried look back on his face. 

“It might have been. But I’ll eat light from now and on. Go reheat your food. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

 

“No,” You glanced at your boyfriend, “it’s not a stupid plot. You just have to read the books. I swear.” 

There was a blanket wrapped around you and your feet were resting on Mark’s lap. He was confused on why you liked the shitty adaptation of your favorite book.

“But the movie is horrible. How can you like this?”

“I don’t. I watch it because it reminds me of how good the books are. Now stop complaining and eat your damn food.” You lightly tap your foot against his stomach.

“Can we at least talk about it?” He asked, his chocolate eyes gazing at you. “I think you’d be a great mother.”

You tugged the blanket closer to your body. “It’s not that… I’d love to have kids. But, Mark, I don’t think now is the time. We are barely home. We’re always running around, filming videos, going to conventions. Maybe when… it all dies down and the audience knows, then we can have a family. Now just isn’t time. But, we can have a child, a furry one.”

His eyes lit up with happiness. “A puppersnup?” He asked in a happy voice. “That’s the best idea ever! If we can take care of a puppy, we can take care a child!”

A smile formed on your lips. “Yes, we can adopt a puppy. In fact, we can look into it tomorrow.”

Mark danced in his seat. “I’m going to clear my schedule for this! A puppy of our own! Someone to keep us company when the other is away!”

Seeing him excited and giddy made you forget that you even felt like shit. His happiness was it’s own disease.


	5. Puppy!

You were right. It was a mild case of food poisoning that had its hold of you. But you surly weren’t going to let it over take you. Mostly because you had too much shit to do, which included going to a local shelter to find a puppy.

“Hey guys,” You greeted your camera, “it’s currently very early in the morning. And I’m not a morning person. Plus, I has the worst night ever- as you could tell from my tweets. But I’m doing great this morning!” You shifted the camera and ran a hand through your hair. “Mostly because I’m on a very important mission today. Markiplier asked me to tag along to an animal shelter to help him look for a puppy and he would kill me if he found out I was vlogging. Today is supposed to be my ‘day off’.”

The bedroom door opened and you quickly turned off the camera, acting like you weren’t vlogging.

“Trying to be sneaky?” Mark asked, leaning against the doorframe. You gave him a small smile.

“It’s the only way to get any work done around here. Either way, this vlog is going up tomorrow, not today. So nothing to worry about.” You admitted, stowing your camera into your bag.

“Well, come on, breakfast is ready. Sort of. You’re eating light. I’m the one eating for a giant.”

“Giant? You’re exaggerating your height again. What’s so bad about being five foot ten? At least you’re taller than me.”

“That’s the only upside. It means I can do this!” Mark grinned and wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you slightly off the ground. 

 

The sheer excitement in his eyes was enough to make you happy. Not to mention that he perked up when the puppies came into view. It was adorable.

“Calm down little one.” You said, patting his arm. “We can only take one home. And whoever it is, will be lucky.”

Mark grabbed your hand and gently pulled you along. All of the puppies jumped up at the sight of the two of you. It was too cute. And too much for your heart to handle.

“I can’t.” You muttered, your gaze flicking to all the puppies up for adoption. “I want to take them all home…”

 

About an hour into your mission, Mark left you to talk to a worker. He was asking what breed of dog would be the best for your life style. That’s when a particular dog caught your eye.

You knelt down and slipped your fingers through the metal fence. “Hey there precious.” You whispered, letting her approach you. She was a sweet one, you could tell that much. But there was no way she was still a puppy. She looked like a grown dog. 

“You’re nothing but a big sweetheart aren’t you?” She rubbed her head against your fingers. It was at this moment that you had fallen in love (for a second time of course). 

“I love her.” You said automatically, quickly glancing at Mark. “Can we take her home with us? Please?” This time it was your turn to give him the puppy dog eyes.

The corner of his lips curled into a smile. “I thought you might like her. She’s going home with us. I was going to surprise you with her.” He admitted. 

“You jerk!” You joked, standing up to kiss him happily. He beat you to the punch like always. His lips were always soft and gentle. And his stubble always tickled your cheek.

“Her name is Chica.” He said with a goofy smile.

“Chica? As in Chica from Five Nights at Freddy’s? I could have sworn that game gave you nightmares.”

“The name grew on me.”

 

Most of the day was just following Chica around the house. Helping her get used to her surroundings. 

“I think Chica is going to grow used to this.” You said, running your fingers through her fur. “She already loves us. Me, because I feed her and you because of your cuddles.”

Mark sat down on the hardwood floor and patted the spot next to him. Chica hurried to his side, knowing it meant belly rubs. “You’re not jealous, right?” 

“Me? No, no. She’s family. I don’t have a reason to be jealous of her. She’s too cute.” You slid onto the floor, back to the couch. “If anything, you should be jealous. She’s already claiming your spot in my heart. Isn’t that right girl?” Chica looked at you, tilting her head in the cutest manner. “Yep, she has officially claimed my heart!” You leaned forward and buried your face into her side.

“I’ll just fight my way back into your heart.” Mark muttered, slightly hoping you didn’t hear him. But you did.


	6. Space Mountain

By the next day, you felt better. Every so often you would grow queasy but it would soon pass. Today was no day to feel sick, you had a lunch date with your mother who was in town for a business meeting.

Today’s outfit consisted of a turquoise lacey top that exposed your back, black Capri pants and a pair beige wedges. 

“You look beautiful in anything you wear, ___.” Mark said, running a hand through your loose hair. “I’m going to miss you.” He kissed the back of your neck before letting go.

“Mark, come on. Don’t leave any marks.” You glanced at him in the mirror, fixing your hair again. “I don’t need my mom saying anything.” 

“Great her for me will you? It’s going to be a while before I get to see her again.” He kissed your cheek before making his way to his recording room. “But I get you to myself tonight!” He called.

 

“Table for two.” You asked a waiter who seemed like he was ready to explode. Maybe he was a fan? “My mom is meeting up with me tonight.” You stated, following him to the small booth.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but aren’t you ___?” He asked, placing down two menus. “I’m sorry if you’re not.”

A soft laugh escaped from your lips. “I’m am. Always glad to meet a fan.” You held your hand out for him. He shook your hand eagerly. 

“I do have a question for you, are you and Mark.. together? Or is it a friend’s with benefits type of situation?”

Oh boy, this was going to be a long day. You opened you mouth to speak but was interrupted by your mother’s voice. 

“___! It’s been so long, darling!” She greeted, loudly as ever. You gave the waiter an apologetic look. “You never cease to change! Look at you!” She gave you a once over before shooting the waiter away. 

“Mom, it’s great to see you.” You slid into the booth and placed your purse beside you. “How’s it going?” 

She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Work is killing me. I can’t believe they had me come out on a last minute business meeting. The traffic is horrible. Now I see why you rarely leave the house.” She waved her hands, causing her bracelets to jingle. “But enough about me, how are you and your boyfriend doing?” She rested her chin on top of her hands, waiting for the latest scoop. 

“Uh, oh, we’re doing good. Both working hard.” You admitted, drumming your fingers against the table. “I can’t complain. I love my job, I love him-“

“When are you two getting married?” She asked suddenly.

“Mom!” You exclaimed, giving her a threatening look. “We have discussed this. Neither of us are in rush to get married!”

“I’m only asking because of Timothy. You remember him from high school?”

“How could I forget? He was so annoying.” You admitted.  
“Well, he’s been asking about you lately. Asking what you were up to and if you were going to come visit Raleigh some time in the future. Rumor has it that he’s got the hots for you. After stumbling across your channel of course.”

“Mom-“

“Of course I told him that you were busy with your videos and that boyfriend of yours. But he’s insisting on going on a date with you.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat. She had told him about Mark? Did he watch his videos? Or did he think he was just a regular person?

“Of course, I told him that I would bring it up next time I saw you. So, what’s your opinion?”

“I don’t need you to worry about my life, Mom. I’m not going to Raleigh just to go on a date with some guy I never liked! With someone who annoyed the shit out of me! And I’m sure as hell not going to leave Mark! We’ll get married when the time comes! And it’s none of your motherfucking concern, got it?” 

“Is it wrong for me to care about the future of my only daughter? I just want you to settle down-“

You brought your hand down onto the table. You heard enough. “Mom. It’s not your place. This is the whole reason I left Raleigh. You kept- keep trying to mold me into you. All you want is for me to marry wealthy. Not have to lift a finger. That’s not good enough for me. I have a life. A boyfriend. We adopted a puppy. Nothing will change that.”  
You swallowed, trying to hold back tears. “And if you don’t like it, then I’m sorry. I’m not going to give up my life just so you can be happy.”

“___, just think about it. This’ll be good for you. Timothy will treat you well.” She begged, trying to get you to conform to the lifestyle she wanted.

“I thought this lunch date was going to be different. I really did. I thought we were going to make up and that you were going to accept what I was doing. With who I am. Turns out I was wrong.”

“If you would just listen-“ You shoot her a glare which shut her up. 

“I’m going home. To my loving boyfriend and puppy.” You grabbed your purse and slid out, hurrying to the exit, ignoring your mother’s calls for you to return.

 

“Are you okay, __? You sound like you wrestled a bear.” Mark’s voice was calming through the receiver. 

“Kind of. It was my mom. She said some stuff… I’m still in the parking lot of the restaurant.” You admitted, wiping stray tears from your eyes.

“If you want, I’ll come home. I’ll stop what I’m doing and head back.” You heard the sound of the couch give way as he stood up. On the other line, you could hear Dan and Arin’s voices asking if everything was okay.

“It’s fine, babe. I’ll just head home and cuddle up with Chica on the bed. Rewatch all ten seasons of Friends. Keep recording. I’ll see you when you come home. I love you.” You hung up before he could reply.

 

There was nothing more comforting than having your new puppy curl up beside you. It was almost as if she knew something was bothering you. She whined and peppered your face with small licks.

“Chica!” You exclaimed, gently pushing her away. “That’s a no! Stop licking my face. Daddy will be mad at you.” However she kept licking your face. “Fine. Have it your way.” She stopped peppering you with licks and nuzzled her face against yours.

The warmth coming off her was more than enough to lull you to sleep. 

Mark came home around midnight and smiled at the sight. It warmed his heart. His girlfriend and their puppy curled up, fast asleep together. A picture perfect opportunity. One he couldn’t let slip by. 

He snapped the picture and posted it on Instagram without a single thought. If they hated you for it, it wouldn’t bother him. He was in it for long haul.


	7. Back to the Past (Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well hello there! Sorry this chapter took so long! I wanted to take my time with it. And I think this is my longest chapter so far. I hope you enjoy it! Also, I hope you enjoy your New Year! I wish you all nothing but good things for 2016!

May 15th, 2014.

A soft sigh escaped your lips as you listened to the voicemail from your best friend. She was inviting you to a wedding that was about a month away. Last minute things were always a pain in the neck. She was only inviting you because her boyfriend had to leave to his hometown on an emergency.

“Cathy,” You said into the receiver, “I’ll go to the wedding with you. But that’s it. Nothing more than that.” You admitted when you called her back. 

“___, this is your chance to find love! There’s going to be a lot of people there! You just have to be pretty and they’ll flock to you.”

Another sigh passed through your lips. “Just help me choose a dress for it okay? All the dresses I have are outdated. I also have to book a trip out there.”

Cathy squealed which prompted you to hold the phone away from your ear. “I’m going to make you look amazing! You’ll be going home with a winner!”

“Cath, I’m only going because you asked me to go. That’s it okay? I’m not looking for anything serious.”

About three months ago, you had ended a relationship you thought was going well. That wasn’t the case. It’s started off like paradise but half a month in, it fell to shambles and you both grew apart. In all honesty, you didn’t want a repeat of that. You weren’t sure you could handle it. At least not now.

June 24th, 2014. 

Cathy sat in front of you, her finger picking at the fabric of her shirt. You were currently in a store having the dress you were going to wear adjusted. “I don’t think I’m going to the wedding anymore.” She said out of nowhere. 

“What, why not? Did something happen?” You asked, looking at her with worry. 

“I, uh, you know how my boyfriend had to leave to see his family? Well, his great-aunt died and the funeral is the same day.” Cathy’s voice was soft and broken. “I really hate to do this to you, ___.”

“No, I understand. It’s the unavoidable.” The seamstress patted your arm when she was done. 

Cathy gave you a soft smile. “I owe you for this. But I will go to the rehearsal with you. I’ll introduce you to some people.”

 

The night was warm. Warm enough that you had to remove your light jacket. It’s was only rehearsal so you decided to go with business casual, something comfortable.

Cathy held up her side of the bargain and introduced you to just about everyone. Seemingly, you instantly became friends with everyone. 

“This is Mark.” She said, introducing you to one final guy. He was cute, in a dorky kind of way. You instantly found it charming.

Mark waved slightly. “Judging from the look on your face, you were dragged here.”

A smile formed on your lips. “No, actually, that was my ‘I’m-glad-to-be-here face’, you can ask Cathy.” You turned to face her only to find out that she had ditched you. “Who is nowhere to be seen. Great.”

Mark chuckled. It was like a sound sent from the gods themselves. You wanted to hear more of it. 

“____. Originally from Raleigh but I’m in the mists of finding a place in Los Angeles. Mostly for work but also for me.” You introduced yourself. “I’m not a big wedding person, mostly because all my friends are not engaged.”

“If it helps, Bob and Mandy are tying the knot on my birthday.”

“What a cute way to spend your birthday. Better than spending it alone.” Another smile crept onto your lips. “I mean, not that spending it alone is bad. It just isn’t the ideal way.” 

“There is an upside to them tying the knot, I got to meet you. And I think that’s pretty great.”

An idea suddenly struck you. “Hey, how about I take you out? You know, for an early birthday dinner. On me of course.”

He fell silent, probably mulling it over. “Actually, I think I’d like that. It’s a date then?”

“Yeah, it’s a date.”

 

“WHAT?!” Cathy exclaimed, well, shouted, once you were in the car. “You invited him out for dinner?!”

“Jesus, Caths, you don’t have to yell in my ear. Fuck, I think I’m going deaf.” You joked, shifting the position of your hands on the steering wheel to rub your ear. “So what? It’s just a friendly birthday dinner. His friend is getting married on his birthday. I thought it was a nice thing to do.”

She waved her hand in her face, fanning away tears. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you did that. And with the cutest guy in the room too? I’m so proud of you.”

“Are you- Are you crying?” You asked, quickly glancing at her. 

She let out a choked sob. “I can’t help it! My baby is in love.” She wiped a stray tear away. “Shit, I think my make-up is running.”

“Jesus shit, Cath. Why are you so overwhelmed? Damn, you are never like this.” You stated, patting her knee.

“I ship the two of you. I wonder what your ship name will be.” She tapped her chin, seriously thinking about it. 

“Why am I your friend?” You muttered. Then it dawned on you. “Aw fuck, I didn’t even ask for his number. Total shit move on my part.”

Cathy wiggled in her seat. “I’ve got you covered. I’ll get his number from Bob.” She said, digging through her purse to find her phone. “Best friend Cathy to the rescue. Just as long as you invite me to the wedding of course.”

 

Cathy: Here’s Marks #

You: Yippie. I feel like a schoolgirl.

You quickly saved the number in your phone and ignored Cathy’s new text. 

“Okay. Here we go…” You muttered pumping yourself up.

You: Hey, itsa me! I invited you to dinner. I was hoping you were free either tonight or tomorrow.

Your heart was pounding a mile a second and your hands were sweaty. Honestly, you felt like you were going to puke. He didn’t reply right away. He was probably busy with stuff. Hanging out with his friends. 

In the meanwhile, you were going to take a shower and find something to watch before heading to the diner downstairs for a meal.

 

Quietly, you hummed to yourself as you dried your hair with a white cotton towel. The room was silent except your quiet humming. The room wasn’t too big. It was big enough to hold a Queen sized bed, a thirty-nine inch television with a stand, a black desk with matching chair, and a single love seat.

Money wasn’t an issue with you. Your mom had paid for the hotel, mainly because you said you were going with Cathy. Not to mention you had to argue with her about the room size.

You didn’t feel lonely in the room. If it was bigger, you would. But you didn’t mind the simple room design.

Turning on the television, you scrolled through the channels, stopping on something that seemed interesting. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw your phone light up. A new text. You had nearly forgotten that you texted Mark a while ago.

Padding over to the desk, you picked up your phone and glanced at it. Two new texts from Mark. The first asked how you managed to get his number. The second was just telling you that he was free in the evening.

“Let me call him…” You muttered, tapping on his number. 

“Hey! ___, I was about to call you.” His cheerful voice answered. Butterflies were forming in your stomach. 

“Ah, were you?” You shook your head. “Right, anyway, there’s this barbecue place a few minutes from the hotel I’m staying at. The lady in the lobby said it’s great. I thought we could go there.”

“I’m assuming it’s a Korean place?” He asked.

“I’m think so, I zoned out slightly afterwards. If you don’t like Korean, we can do something else.”

He chuckled. “No, I don’t mind it. It’s been a while since I’ve had Korean food. Other than my mom’s cooking of course.”

You blinked then it hit you. He’s Korean. And it seemed stupid on your part. “You don’t mind it though, right?”

“No, no. I don’t. Anything is good with me.”

A smile formed on your face. “Do you want me to pick you up?”

He gasped. “You pick me up? Unacceptable. I’ll pick you up. Just text me the address of the hotel and I’ll come get you.”

 

There were four short knocks at your door. Rolling off your bed, you headed over and opened to reveal a recently bathed Mark. Your pulse picked up. God, was he handsome. 

“Come on in.” You said softly, stepping to the side for him to come in. He quietly thanked you. “Let me finish getting ready then we’ll go.” 

“Do you mind if we order to go? I’d rather eat here than eat outside. Just some time to relax and get to know you better.”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me.” You said, grabbing your tan leather jacket. Today you were wearing a white tank top and black skinny jeans. “It’s pretty hot outside too-“You stopped, rethink king your choice of clothing. You could surely do without the jacket. “Give me five minutes and we can head out.” He gave a curt nod, claiming the love seat for himself.

Putting on a bit of make-up didn’t take too long, about two or three minutes. “Alright. We can go now.” You said, leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind you. “It’s nearby, we can walk or drive. All up to you.”

Mark stood up. “We can walk. I think taking a walk would be good.” He said, smiling a bit.

 

“No way. You’re lying to me.” You said, sitting the bottle of water on the desk. Both of you were using the desk as a dinner table. You had claimed the desk chair and Mark claimed the small love seat. Since you left to the Korean place, you were asking each other random questions. Right now, you were both on the question of jobs. “A Youtuber huh? That’s just… ironic. I have a degree in film making and mostly vlog. I help other video makers shoot their own videos. It’s not much but it helps pay the bills.” 

“A vlogger huh? I just do weird sketches and gameplay videos. It’s a great job. The viewers are amazing. They do so much, they try to change the world.” A smile formed on his lips as he leaned back in the seat.

“Tiny world huh? Maybe one day we can get together and record a video together. A challenge video mostly.” 

“I remember you saying that you want to move to Los Angeles. Any particular reason for that?”

A sigh escaped your lips. “Yeah. There’s a lot for that. Mostly because of my family.” You kept silent for a few seconds. “I’m not on the best terms with them, mostly my mom. She isn’t too happy about my choice of degree. And I thought, you know what? It’s my life and I can do whatever the hell I want. So I moved out, have a small apartment and I’m looking into places as we speak. Well, not at this exact moment- you know what I mean.”

“I think it’s brave of you to do all that. You’re doing what is best for yourself and I admire that.” Mark smiled at you.

Goddammit, you thought, biting the inside of your cheek, is it possible for someone to be this cute and caring? If anything, you were slowly falling for him and you had known him for a few hours.

 

JUNE 28th, 2014.

The next four days went by in a blur. You hung out with Mark just about every day. At some point you thought you were going to grow tired of each other, that wasn’t the case. Every time he texted or called you, you were happy. Clearly you were in too deep at this point. And you loved every single of it.

“You look handsome.” You said, spotting Mark among the crowd. He stood out in a good way. He turned and looked at you. He sucked in a breath.

“Wow, you clean up nicely. I mean, you look beautiful.” He smiled, pushing a curl behind your ear. 

“Thank you, dork.” You smiled sweetly at him then linked your arm with his when he offered.

The ceremony was beautiful but seemed to go on forever. Then again, you had never been invited to a wedding. So the entire concept was foreign to you. But you sat through the entire ceremony like a trooper. The reception was going to be the fun part. If you lasted that long.

The bride and groom were instantly flocked after the ceremony. You decided to keep your distance and stick as close to Mark as possible. He was the only person who made you comfortable.

“Oh, before I forget, happy birthday.” You told him softly, smiling. “I would have gotten you something but I suck at giving gifts- so, we can do whatever you like.” Mark raised an eyebrow.

“Anything?” He questioned just to be sure.

“Anything that isn’t illegal or will end up with one of us dead.” You corrected, joking slightly.

Mark tapped his chin, thinking about what he would like for his gift. “After thinking about it, I have decided that I want you as my birthday gift.”

You held up your hands. “At least buy me dinner first.” 

“That’s not the way I meant it, ___. I want you to go out with me. Be my girlfriend?” He asked, leaning in slightly, waiting for your answer.

You told yourself that your next relationship was going to be different. And you were starting to think that it was going to be different and that this one was going to last.

“Okay.” You replied, the butterflies in your stomach growing. “I’ll be your girlfriend.” 

The smile on his face showed his excitement. “For now, let’s enjoy the party.”


	8. Back to the Past (Part Two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! There's going to be one more chapter for BTTP (Back to the past). I'll get started on it right away and have it up tonight or tomorrow night! I hope all of you are having a great week so far!
> 
> Also, sorry for the bad smut. I need to practice more.

Two drinks was all you had. Mostly because you didn’t want to get plastered around people you didn’t know. That and because you didn’t want to deal with the hangover. Those sucked in your opinion and you tended to avoid them whenever. You also wanted to remember your night because it was important.

The reception was in full swing by your second drink and you were tempted to grab another but decided against it.  
“You look tired.” Mark said, rubbing the back of your hand. Honestly, you were. You couldn’t wait until you got back to your hotel room to sleep the entire day off.

“Kinda. Not used to this.” You muttered, moving your hand to rub your eyes but remembered that you were wearing make-up. “Would it be rude if I left early?” You asked, glancing towards the dance floor.

“I have a proposition for you. Give me one dance and then we can go.” He stood up and offered his hand to you. You ignored the fact that he said ‘we’. 

Giving in, you placed your hand in his and allowed him to lead you to the dance floor. You had a sense of rhythm but it was rusty. Seeing that the last time you actually danced was your senior prom in high school which was a billion years ago.

“I’m a little rusty.” You admitted, linking your arms around his neck when you came to a stop. “Last time I dance was in high school and even then, I dance like no one is looking.” 

Mark couldn’t help but chuckle. “You should see me when I dance. I really dance like I have no common sense.” He gently rested his hands on your hips.

The two of you moved around in small circles, ignoring the looks of other people. It was just the two of you. There was no need for anyone else. Not at this moment. The dance ended when the tempo changed.

You groaned. “Guess someone wanted something fast pace.” You muttered, looking into his eyes. In an instant, his hands moved from your hips to your hand.

“We can take a taxi back to my place.” He muttered, leading your way through the crowd. He shot a small wave to the groom and bride. “When are you going back to Raleigh?”

“I leave at the end of the month.” You answered, giving his hand a soft squeeze.

“You don’t mind if we spend the night together do you?” 

The look he gave you was enough to melt your knees. Your heart began to pound. You felt like you were going to explode, in a good way.

 

During the entire ride back to his hotel room, his hands never left your body. He would rub his thumb on the back of your hand, gently caress your arms. He was just affectionate and you sure as hell didn’t mind it. It meant that you were the only thing on his mind.

It was the same heading up to his room. The lady in the lobby watched the two of you carefully. Slightly surprised that you were going up with him. Part of you knew exactly where this was going. You only had a few days to be with him before having to deal with Skype calls and texts.

“Give me your room key.” You said softly when you stopped by what you assumed was his room. He reached into his pocket and handed you the card. Swiftly, you swiped the card and pushed the door open.

“You’re not going to stand there all day are you?” He asked in a husky voice. “Because it’s not very polite.” His hands gently rubbed your hips, earning a shutter from you. Mark took that as a good sign and led you inside, closing the door behind the both of you.  
“I’m assuming this is the part where you ask if you can kiss me.” You deadpanned, looking around the room.

His breath hitched. “Only if you want me to. I mean, I’ve wanted to kiss you since day one…” His voice trailed off when you glanced at him.

A small smile was plastered onto your face. “You don’t really need to ask.” You leaned forward and kissed him gently, wanting him to take the lead.

All at it once, it seemed like the entire world shifted. Not like, the planets aligned or the sun going out. No, it was something better and less life threatening. Pieces were clicking together. You wanted this man. The butterflies churning in your stomach should be proof enough.

Mark returned the kiss, slipping his fingers into your hair. Afraid to let you go. His lips were gentle and soft. However, the kiss only lasted for a few seconds. You could see the lust in his eyes. He wanted you as badly as you did him.

“I’m only doing this because I like you so much…” You muttered, taking his hand and leading him to the bed. Once there, you lightly pushed him down. You slid your hands underneath his dress shirt, running your fingers over his chest. Why did he have to be so perfect? 

Mark took advantage when you stopped to pull you onto his lap. Good thing the dress stretched because it would have been a waste to let such a beautiful dress become ruined. He traced the outline of your neck with his lips, stopping at the base of your neck to whisper, “you’re so beautiful…”

His hot breath created goosebumps against your skin. If you had no control, you would have taken him then and there, but first things first, you had to get him worked up. You slipped your hands back over his chest, letting them explore his body, slowly taking off his jacket and dress shirt. He. Was. Fucking. Perfect.

“I need you…” you finally whispered, curling your fingers against his chest. “I need you so fuckin bad.”

He let out a strangled gasp. “You’re in for a treat.” He whispered. Carefully, he switched your positions. This time you were sitting on the bed and Mark was standing in front of you. The lust still burning in his eyes.

His hands traced your body, starting from your hips to your shoulders. Gently, he slipped his fingers under the straps.

“Let me help you…” you reached back and pulled the zipper down. The fabric of the dress falling away, revealing a nude color bra. He sucked a breath, admiring the sight of your chest. Part of you wanted to tell him to take a picture but that would probably kill the mood.

 

Once the two of you were naked and exposed to each other, Mark didn’t hold back. His hands were all over you. Exploring each curve of your body, ready claim you as his.

“I need you…” you reminded him for the second time. No need to work the other up, you were both ready. Mark gave a slight nod, rummaging through a drawer to find what he need. Once he found what he was looking for (presumably a condom), he crawled onto the bed.

“Are you sure about this?” Mark asked, searching your eyes for any form of regret. Not that he was going to get it.

“Fuck, how many times do I have to spell it out for you?” You whined, straddling his hips. He hesitated before ripping the package open, sliding the condom on. Carefully, you inched forward, lining your body with his.

The clock ticked four times before you lowered yourself onto his length. Finally, he was fully inside you. Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead against you, taking in the feel of you.

“You feel amazing…” he whispered, one hand on the small of your back and the other on the back of your head. You gave him a breathless chuckle. Then came the moment of truth.

“You can move...” your voice was quiet that you could barely recognize it. His movements were gentle at first, making sure nothing was too uncomfortable for you. But soon, his thrusts became faster once he noted that you were comfortable.

After a few moments of trying to match his rhythm, you met him each thrust. Each meeting caused him to grunt in satisfaction. His movements soon grew rough, desperate for release.

You opened your mouth, only to have Mark kiss you roughly, suckling on your bottom lip. A soft moan escaped your lips. You wanted more of this. The feel of his lips against yours. The feel of his hands on your skin, in your hair. You wanted it all.

“I’m close…” he muttered against your swollen lips. His movements started growing weaker, his climax was close.

Gently, without wanting to break skin, you dug your nails into his back. You could feel your own climax approaching. “Don’t slow down.” You breathed out, burying your face against the crook of his neck.

Giving a soft whimper, he slowly picked up his pace, obeying you. Not wanting you to be left behind. “I can’t…” he muttered, but that didn’t stop him.

Wrapping your around his torso, you rode out your climax. Mark groaned at the feel of you tightening around him. A string of curses left his lip, most of the words were fuck. After your orgasm subsided, Mark grunted, reaching his own. His seed filling the condom.

 

After the endeavor, both of you were a tangled mess of limbs. Breathing heavily, trying to calm your rapid heartbeats. Mark was the first one to sit up. Giving a weak laugh, you reached up and ran his hands through his hair.

“It might just be the sex we had talking, but goddamn, you look so damn good like this.” He said, his voice husky. A smile formed on your lips. “I hope after all that, you still like me.”

“I’m still here. So yes, I definitely like you.” He leaned down and kissed your forehead.

More than anything, you were ready for the long road ahead. Even if it consisted mostly of texts and Skype calls. This time it was different. It was all or nothing. You were in it for the long ride.


	9. Back to the Past (Part Three)

“It’s not that simple, Mark.” You spoke, shifting your phone to your left ear. Right now you were grocery shopping and Mark, your boyfriend of two months was editing videos as you spoke. “Rent is amazing in Los Angeles. It’s not something I can afford, at least not yet.”

The grocery store was busy. For some reason, everyone decided to come out and buy their food at the same time. You weaved through a small crowd where the chips were.

“Believe me, if I could, I would drop all my shit and fly to Los Angeles.” A mother of two small children glared at you when you dropped the word shit. You gave her an apologetic look and continued down the chip aisle. “But it’s not that easy. There’s a lot I would have to pack, people I would have to notify-“

“Then move in with me.” The tone in his voice was strong and gruff. You knew he was serious.

“Mark, we’ve been together for two months. Don’t you think that’s rushing things a little bit?” You stopped in front of the white cheddar popcorn that you liked and put two bags into your buggie. “Not that I wouldn’t like to move in with you. I would love it. But-“

The fans. Dropping everything. Telling your mom. “I know. But you can move in with me whenever you want. Take your time. I just want you to be happy.”

A small smile crept onto your face. “I know. Give me a few weeks and I’ll mull it over then I’ll give you my answer. Sound fair enough?”

There was a moment of silence before he replied. “Yeah, that’s good enough for me. But I’m going to keep bugging you about it.”

“Just like how you bug me every other day for a selfie? You claim it’s to show it to your friends and brag about it. But I honestly think it’s for something else, for your own pleasure.”

“I have a beautiful girlfriend. Is that so bad of me? Speaking of which, mind sending me one right now? My, uh, mom asked for one. She wants to see the girl I’m going to marry one day.”

You ignored the last part. “Why can’t you send her one of the millions you have saved on your phone? I’m sure one of those will be fine.”

“Why can’t you just send me a new one?” He whined.

“Because I don’t think the people in the store will appreciate being on camera. Deal with it for a little longer.” You were bound to give in. You always gave in, it was just a matter of time.

Your conversation with Mark lasted for another hour. By that time, he was yawning every four seconds. After insisting he should take a nap, you finally hung up. The rest of your shopping trip continued in silence from your part, the store was still crowded.

 

 

Singing to yourself, you pulled into the driveway, blinking at the sight of a car. It was rare for someone to come visit you. But you knew it could only be one person. Someone trying to make your life a living hell. No, not an ex. Your mother.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you slid out of the car and went over to the driver side. Your mom was on her phone, texting a client. “Hey.” Your voice cracked but you ignored it.

Your mom looked up at you and put on that fake smile she always did. “____, about time you showed up. I was ready to call the cops. I thought you had-“

“Why are you here?” Your voice cracked again. Dammit. Keep it together.

“I heard from Cathy that-“

“Hold that thought. I have groceries. I want to at least get them inside the house before you try and lecture me for something I had nothing to do.” You said, giving her a forced smile.

 

Once everything was inside the house, your mom started at it again.

“I heard from Cathy that you’re seeing someone.” She stated, sitting down on a stool. You paused, glancing at her. “I think it’s great that you’re seeing someone but don’t you think you could do better than that?”

“Better? Mom, what the fuck are you talking about? I am doing better. My last boyfriend was no good! He was cheating on me during the entire relationship!” She opened her mouth to say something but you didn’t give her a second to even say what was on her mind. “No, mom. It was not my job to give him everything he wanted. To wait on him hand and foot. _No_. It should never be like that!”

“Eric wasn’t a bad guy. You just didn’t understand.”

“This is exactly why dad left you. _You’re_ the one who doesn’t understand. I wasn’t going to stay with him if it meant I was going to miserable the rest of my life. Now. Now I’m happy.”

There was a sour look on her face. She wasn’t happy with your response. She never was. This was going to be the only time you could get away from her. You had one chance and you had to do it now.

“He asked me to move in with him today. I told him that I would think about it, but I don’t think there is anything to think about. I’m going to move in with him.”

“You are not. Not if I don’t allow it.”

You slammed your hand against the counter, ignoring the stinging pain. “No. You do _not_ own me. You cannot tell me what to do either. I am old enough to do as I want. Even if it all comes down in flames. I will move in with him. Just as long as I can get away from you and your obsession with controlling me!”

She glared at you, once again not happy with the answer that you had given her.

“And I would also appreciate it if you would leave me alone. At least until you are ready to admit that you have a problem. So please, leave.” You pointed to the door.

“Fine.” She grabbed her purse and stormed out of the house.

For the first time you cried. The last time you cried was when your dad had come to visit you six months ago. He was a busy man but it still meant that he thought about you which moved you to tears.

 

 

Grabbing your phone, you sniffled and tapped on Mark’s name. It rang a few times before he answered. His voice was groggy. “Is something wrong?” He asked, probably struggling to stay awake.

“I’m moving in with you as soon as possible.” You said through sniffles. “Just as long as I can get away from my mom.”

Mark sat up. “Are you sure? You don’t really have to do this you know?”

“I know. But it’s my life and I can do what I want. Despite what she thinks.”

“I’ll start looking for tickets for you, __. Don’t worry. You take care of everything on your end.”

You nodded, knowing he couldn’t see it. “Okay. And Mark?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

 

 

A month and a half later, you found yourself landing in Los Angeles. Your heart was beating rapidly. Amongst the chaos of filling out paperwork, emptying the house out, and selling stuff, you felt ready for this new adventure. Hopefully everything would fall into place.

Once you were on the ground, you checked your phone. Immediately, messages came from Mark. Some of them were just pictures of where he was waiting for you. It was cute, seeing his goofy personality coming out.

The airport was busy. Busier than you thought it would be. People rushing to their terminals. People greeting their loved ones. It was an overwhelming sight. You were going to be the latter in a matter of minutes.

Now, your only mission was to find Mark and your luggage. It was probably going to be a hard thing to do. So you pulled out your phone again and dialed his number.

He answered instantly. “I saw your plane landed but I can’t seem to find you.”

“I’ve never been to Los Angeles before so I might be a little lost. There’s a Starbucks and a gift shop near me. I just followed the people leaving until I couldn’t. I think I’m heading in the right direction.”

“Oh, I think I see you.”

You looked up and saw him waving in the distance. A smile formed on your lips. This was it. The day you had been counting down for. The scene played out like one of those sappy romance movies. Except Mark didn’t pick you up and spin you around. He couldn’t, he would draw attention to himself- to the both of you. However you both discussed that if someone were to ask, you were a friend who was visiting the city.

His smile showed how happy he was when he met you half way through the airport lobby. “Looks like you’ve made it. I’m glad to have you here.” He said softly, resisting to touch you in case someone saw the two of you.

“I’m more than glad to be here. In the city that never sleeps.”

He chuckled, grabbing your carryon bag. “I think you’re confusing Los Angeles with New York.”

“Does it really matter?” You ask, nudging him playfully and the following him to the baggage carousel. “I’m here and ready for what California and it’s seemingly never ending summers.”


	10. Birthday Surprise

You laughed as you scrolled through your social media. Everyone was wishing you a happy birthday, all except for one, Mark. Who probably had something hiding up his sleeve.

“Everyone is being so sweet this morning.” You said, looking over when the bed dipped. Today was one of those lazy days where you sure as hell didn’t want to get out of bed. Mark was going to let you either way.

“I didn’t forget.” Mark said, kissing your forehead. “I would never forget your birthday.” He gently bopped your nose. “So, what does the birthday girl want to do today?”

“Well, Cathy and a few other of my friends want to take me out for dinner. Cathy and her boyfriend are looking at wedding venues. They’re finally going to tie the knot. Which means it’ll be our second wedding.”

“If it’s going to be anything like the last one sign me the fuck up.” He smirked, leaning in for a kiss but dodged his lips when your phone started ringing.

“Hey Daddy.” You answered, a smile on your face. “I was hoping you were going to call.” You held up a finger to Mark, signaling him to wait a minute. In response he pouted.

There was static on the other end, but you could still make out his voice. “Why wouldn’t I call?” He had a thick New Jersey accent, something he never lost even after living in South Carolina for over twenty years. “It’s my little girl’s birthday. And I know your bitch mom will not call. So I made the call instead.”

“Thank you, Daddy. It really means a lot to me. To hear your voice again. Wherever you are.”

“I wired you some money, you know. So you can take that boyfriend of your out to lunch or something. Even though I know you don’t need it. Just by hearing your voice, I can tell he’s treating you well.” Mark’s pout disappeared when he signaled for the phone.

“I know he’s around, so let me speak to the kid. I’ve got a few words for him in private.” Raising an eyebrow, you handed the phone to Mark. “I’ll just go…” You signaled to the living room, where Chica was probably asleep.

 

Chica perked up when she heard you enter the room. “Hey there girl.” You knelt down and ran you fingers through her fur. “You know what today is right? Bath day! Oh and my birthday, but you don’t care about that last part.”

She nuzzled her nose against you knee which caused you to laugh. “Ah, but alas, I can’t bathe you. Papa is going to do that task while I’m away. Be a good girl for him okay? No making a mess.” You leaned down and placed a small kiss on the top of her head.

The door to the bedroom opened and Mark stepped out, a look of relief on his face. “Oh, I thought you were leaving.”

“While you were busy gossiping with my dad, I signaled to the living room, not the front door. Plus it’s twelve, which means lunch rush. Can’t eat in peace like that.” You said, standing up, brushing the little remnants of Chica’s fur from your pants. “But I might take advantage of that money dad sent me to buy some stuff which means vlogging.” He gave you a stern look. “Babe, come on! It’s my birthday and I wat to do a small birthday vlog.”

Mark rolled his eyes, a sign he had caved. “Fine, ___, but only if it’s a short vlog. Don’t spend your entire birthday vlogging.”

You grinned in victory. “Yes! I win.” You quickly kissed him. “In return, I’ll help you with wrangling Chica into the tub for her bath.”

“You know the fast way into my heart.” He kissed you cheek with a loud smooch. “Now, let’s put this puppersnup into the tub!”

 

“This is where I take my leave!” You exclaimed, washing your hands in the sink. Chica looked at you with a curious look, wondering where you were going. “The rest, I’ll leave that to my manly man.” You glanced at him, drying your hands.

“Hey, wait. At least let me take a picture with you first. I want to them to know it’s your birthday. Even if I look like I wrestled an alligator.” Mark insisted, wiping his hands on his shorts.

“Okay. Only because I love you.” You stood as close to him as possible and smile, holding up a peace sign. Mark snapped a picture.

“You look so adorable. I’m scared they’ll want to take you from me.” He kissed your cheek, his stubble tickling your face. “Now go, have a great birthday.” He said, pocketing his phone.

“I will, for the both of us at least.” You grinned, heading to the front door.

 

“The two of you are so cute that it’s sickening.” Cathy said as she slid into the booth at the sushi place. “But I can’t really talk. Harry and I are the same.” She showed her screen to you, showing the image that Mark had posted a while ago. “The comments are nice, well, the majority of them are. They’re shipping you two and some are even asking when you’ll make an announcement.”

“I’m leaving that to the boyfriend. Whenever he’s ready, I’m ready. But I can tell that he has something up his sleeve. I just can’t tell what it is.”

“You think he always has something up his sleeve.” She corrected.

“Most of the time he does. I’m in the dark as much as everyone else.” You added, tapping your fingers against the counter.

A waiter came over and took your orders. You asked for California rolls and tuna with a side of wasabi while Cathy ordered just California rolls.

 

“I know you’re going to hate me for this. But Harry insisted that I get you this for your birthday.” She pulled a small package from her purse and held it out for you. “It might be a little early, but Harry insisted.”

You took the gift wrapped package from her and weighed it in your hands. “You’re not pregnant are you?” You teased, ripping the wrapping. Cathy shook her head, a soft expression on her face.

Inside the box was the cutest little outfit for a child. The print read ‘I HAVE THE COOLEST AUNT EVER!’ You looked up at her in confusion.

“Cathy, but I’m not-“She gave you a sweet smile.

“Call it a hunch, ___. When was the last time you had your cycle?” This was the nurse inside of her talking.

“Uh….” You tried to remember the last time you had your cycle. “Maybe a month ago? Two months, but it could just be stress.” You said, trying to convince yourself.

Cathy shook her head. “I want you to take a test. I’ll be with you when you find out. I won’t leave your side.” She reached out and patted your hand.

It couldn’t be possible, right? But still to make sure, you had to take the test. “Okay. Let’s go then.” You grabbed the bill and headed for the front, Cathy in tow.

 

“It’s been five minutes.” Cathy said, tapping the small box against your head. “The results should be visible.”

You took a deep breath and picked up the white plastic stick from the counter. You counted to ten then looked down. A faint pink plus looked up at you. “Plus. I’m pregnant.” You muttered, looking up at Cathy.

“I’m going to be an Aunt?” She asked, disbelief in her voice. “I’m going to be an Aunt.” She repeated, resting her chin on your shoulder. “Amazing…”

“I have to tell Mark…” You said softly, taking the box from Cathy’s hand to put the test back inside. “I have to tell him right away.” You got up from the edge of the tub.

 

The drive home was anxiety inducing. Your heart was beating rapidly and the palms of your hands were slick with sweat. You knew Mark would be more than excited, but you couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Parking the car outside your shared home, you headed inside. “Mark?” You called out, stepping into the living room. Chica barked from the bedroom and bolted to greet you. She rubbed her head against your leg. “Hey girl, is Papa home?” She wagged her tail before heading to the kitchen. You followed after her.

Mark looked up and smiled then blinked. “What’s wrong?” He asked, rubbing your arms. “Honey, you can tell me anything.”

You took a deep breath. “I have some… life changing news. Now, it’s your choice to sit down or not. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” You paused a few seconds before saying, “I’m pregnant.”

He blinked. “You’re joking.” He saw that you were serious. “You’re sure you’re pregnant?”

Giving a nod, you pulled out the box, revealing the pregnancy test. “We’re going to be parents.”

He grinned, hugging you. “That’s the best news ever! It beats that car I went to buy you.”

“You bought me a car?”

“Yes, but it’s nothing compared to the fact that we’re going to be parents.”

 


	11. A New Announcment

Cathy beamed at you as she looked over your chart. Today was your first doctor’s appointment since finding out you were pregnant. It had been two weeks since you told Mark that you were going to be parents.

“Anything you want me to write down? Nausea? Cravings? Fatigue?” Cathy asked, tapping her pen against the clipboard. “Anything at all?”

You glare at her playfully. “Just the fatigue so far. If I’m lucky, I won’t have any morning sickness.”

“If you’re lucky enough. But other than that, everything seems to be in order. Except, where the lucky dad? Is he busy?” 

You rolled your eyes, climbing onto the examination table. “He is not busy. He is in the bathroom.” 

The door opened and Mark stepped in. Cathy muttered under her breath. “Still no doctor?” He asked, taking a seat by the exam table.

“Not yet,” you shifted your weight and glanced at him, “he has other patients, Mark. You can’t rush him.”

Cathy smirked. “You two are such a married couple. It’s cute and a little sickening.” She glanced at her watch. “Anyway, the doctor should be with you in a few minutes. I’ll leave you two to chat.” She smiled again, leaving the chart on the table and heading out.

You glanced at Mark, laughing a bit. “Cathy is really weird sometimes.” You gently rubbed your stomach, something you did subconsciously now. 

Mark laughed softly, rubbing your arm. “How are you feeling? Like you always do or a little queasy?” 

“I feel fine, honey. You don’t need to patronize me so much.” You said, sitting up.

The doctor came in, drying his hands. “And how are the parents doing?” He asked, smiling happily.

“I feel fine. Nothing to special yet.” You replied. Mark just smiled, leaning against the chair. “Mark is just patronizing me, like always. He won’t let me do much. Which isn’t fair, if you ask me.”

“Sorry, but he’s right. There’s only so much you can do until your pregnancy is stabilized.” He handed you a few pamphlets. “Any questions you two may have, call the office, or Cathy since you know her. But now, let’s check to see how that little baby is going now.” He motioned for you to lay back down. 

After the freezing gel was applied to your abdomen, the doctor moved the wand around. “Okay…” He muttered, looking at the screen. “Everything seems to be going well. This little thing-“ he pointed to the screen, “is your baby. Judging from the size, you’re about six weeks pregnant. Your baby is no bigger than a lentil.” He glanced at the two of you. “I’m assuming you would like to hear the heartbeat?”

Mark replied instantly for the two of you. “Yes! Of course!” He sounded more excited than you were. The doctor nodded and hit a few button on the keypad thing and within seconds, there was a strong heartbeat filling the room. Mark looked back at you and smiled.

That heartbeat was more than enough to convince you that you really were going to have a baby. Tears stung your eyes. 

“I’ll print some images for you. You can pick them up at the front desk.” He said, smiling again. “Congratulations on your little miracle.” He excused himself and left the room.

You sat up, wiping the gel from your belly. “Guess vlogging isn’t going to be a thing I’ll be doing much of, huh?” You asked, looking at Mark.

“__, you’re going to vlog, just not every day of course. You- we have to inform them about what’s going on. We can’t just leave them in the dark when we disappear for days on end. Leave it to me to edit vlogs. You just film and look pretty.”

You rolled your eyes. “You are such and idiot.” You swung your legs over the edge of the examination table. “Let’s go home and get ready to tell the entire world about the three of us.” 

You made sure everything was set up. This video was going to go on both channels. Just seconds apart. Carefully, you angled the camera and nodded to Mark, signaling that everything was set up. There was empty chair next to Mark. Chica was laying in front of him as you hit record. He smiled at the camera. 

”Hey guys. Some of you are probably wondering where today’s uploads are. This is an update for that. I had an important matter I had to attend to earlier today and could not upload. Actually, from the title, I’m sure you can tell that I’m going to make some announcements. Two, to be in fact. You’re also probably wondering why there’s empty seat next to me. Well that’s part one of the big reveal.” He waved you in, well, motioned for you to sit down next to him.

Taking a deep breath, you sat down and gave a small wave at the camera. “Hey guys. To add onto what Mark said, we have some big announcements. And no, no one is quitting. We both love our jobs and you guys too much to even think about that.” You swallowed, trying to settle your beating heart with no avail. “It’s bigger than that actually.” You look at Mark, smiling a bit.

“Most of you guys have been wanting us to say something since I started appearing in her vlogs. And we’re here to come clean. Because we haven’t been honest with you. Though, some of you have been able to tell that we were hiding something from you. And yes, you were right. We’ve been hiding something for a little over a year. Almost two years actually.” Mark paused for a second, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “We are dating.”

You nodded, looking down at Chica who was rubbing her head against your bare foot. “We met almost two years ago. My best friend, who most of you already know, Cathy, she invited me to a wedding. The same wedding he was attending. Bob and Mandy’s wedding. Cathy asked me to join her and I went, not knowing who he was. She introduced us and we hit it off.”

“And here we are, nearly two years later, admitting it to you guys. We’re sorry we kept it from the light. But we’re ready now.” Mark said, taking it over. “But that’s just part one of this big announcement.” He glanced at you. Your signal to get up and grab the ultrasound pictures from early today. You kept them out of sight for now. 

“This came to much of as a surprise to us as it will to you.” He continued, bouncing his leg, like he did when he was anxious or nervous. “And today, we come to share with everyone who will watch this video whether it’s as soon as it’s up of ten years from now.” He paused for a second. “____ and I are expecting. She’s pregnant which means that we’re going to be parents.” 

You stood up and walked towards the camera, showing the ultrasound, blocking important information with your fingers.

“___ is six weeks pregnant, according to our doctor. The baby is healthy. Strong heartbeat but just a little bitty thing. No bigger than a lentil. We’re both elated.” You moved, putting the image down and taking your seat next to your boyfriend. “What does this mean for the two us?” He glanced at you, a loving expression on his face. “We’re not going to get married, not now anyway. That’s still long away. But yes, we are going to stay together. Because that is what good parents do. It might not be planned, but this child will be loved no matter what.” 

You smiled weakly, feeling tears sting your eyes. Giving a nod, you took his hand. “We’re going to keep doing what we do. Well, Mark will. I will keep you all updated of course. Just not every day. I’ll keep you updated as best I can.”

“And when she’s not feeling well, I’ll update you the best I can. I will take over her channel if I have to.” You playfully hit his knee. “I’m kidding!” He chuckled, running his thumb over the back of your hand. “But that’s that guys. The big reveal. Both of them. I’ll keep you updated the best I can.” He smiled. 

You smiled as well. “Until next time guys.”

“Buh-bye.” You both said, waving your free hands at the camera.

Breathing out a loud sigh of relief, you leaned back in your seat. “I think I’ll have to nap this all off.” Mark chuckled, kissing your temple. 

“Go take your nap, I’ll edit and post the vlog to both channels.” 

Giving a nod, you stood and headed to the bedroom where you crawled into bed and went out like a light.


	12. Things Change

At this point of time, you were four months pregnant and starting to show. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that you could barely fit any of your clothes. You needed an entirely new wardrobe. Nothing would fit, not even your favorite pair of jeans.

Whining, you looked over at your boyfriend who was thumbing through a book. He glanced up at the sound you made. “What’s with the noise?” He asked, pushing up his glasses.

“Nothing fits me anymore.” You gave a pout, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “I’ll have to go shopping later. And I really don’t want to do that.”

He gasped. “You not want to go shopping? Those words have never been uttered in the same sentence before.” He put the book down. “What if I let you wear my lucky flannel and you find some pants that fit you?”

“Your lucky flannel is in the wash, I can’t really wear it while it’s wet.” You said, running your left hand through your hair, watching Mark in the mirror.

“Okay, I’ll let you wear one of my shirts and my cardigan. Deal?”

You thought about before giving a nod. “Okay. I call your Reptar shirt. I’ll find some yoga pants or something.” You said, standing up carefully.

 

 

Mark ran his hands over the hangers on the racks while you looked through clothes that would fit you now and after the birth of your child. You still hadn’t started buying things for the baby but the fans were beating you to it.

Since you still had your P.O BOX open, which meant since the day you announce your pregnancy, packages were coming in with things from blankets to cute little outfits. It was nice of them, but neither of you knew what the gender of the baby was. And it was going be a while before you even found out.

“How about this shirt? It’s cute and your style?” Mark asked, holding out a silk top. His voice broke you out of your trance. You ran your fingers over the material and nodded. “See? I know your style.” He grinned, hanging the shirt on the cart.

“We start fixing the room for the baby.” You said, putting a few more shirts and pants into the cart. “I mean, we can never start too early. Everything can be neutral colored too.”

He laughed softly. “Leave all that to your manly-man, okay?” He kissed your temple. “But I will leave the decorating and choosing the colors.”

 

 

“Here’s your salad my lady.” Mark said, teasing you as he put the plastic container down in front of you. You smile, taking off the plastic cover. “And a burger for me. And yes, you can have some of my fries. However, you can’t tell the doctor about it. He will kill me.”

You grin, pouring a bit of ranch over the salad before starting to dig in.

“Mm, that reminds me, a fan reached out to me on Twitter and said they were going to send a onesie that said ‘Markiplier is my Daddy’.”

You snorted, covering your mouth. “Oh my god, that’s just weird because a lot of people already call you daddy. But I still think it’s cute. Have they sent it yet?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, said something about sending it this weekend.”

“I think they officially love our child more than they love us.” You admitted, pointing your fork at him. “He’s going to have his own fanbase soon enough.”

“He?” Mark raised an eyebrow, tapping a fry against his burger. “What makes you think our baby is going to be a boy? We haven’t found out yet.”

“I just feel like we’re going to have a boy. But I don’t think I want to find out. I don’t want to stick to gender roles and all that. I want our child to be just that, our child. They can be who they want and what they want.”

He smiled, pushing the fries over to you. “And you deserve fries for that.”

 

 

The best thing about being pregnant was that you could rest a book on your belly without having to move a muscle. Mark sat next to you on the couch, scrolling through Amazon (you could see it on the television).

“That’s cute.” You said, shifting your position. Your foot was falling asleep. He looked up from his computer. “The crib, I mean. I like the color and the design. It’s something that goes with any kind of room design.”

“Yeah?” He looked back to his screen. “It has good reviews too. We can order it if you’d like.” Giving a nod was more than enough confirmation for him. “What else would you like?”

“We’re going to need a changing table, some new shelves.” You thought for a bit. “I think this calls for a trip to Ikea tomorrow. If you’re free anyway.” The look on his face was more than enough confirmation that he was not free. Giving a sigh, you held up your hands. “Okay, fair enough. You’re busy. I’ll go with a friend… or by myself. I’ll be fine either way.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine?” He asked, setting his laptop between the two of you. “I don’t want to overwork yourself.”

You rolled your eyes. “Honey, I’m not going to carry anything out of the store. I will choose what I like and have them ship it here. Unless it’s too cute and I absolutely need it.”

“Promise me you won’t overwork yourself?” He gave you puppy eyes, something you still couldn’t help but become a victim even after being together for over a year.

“Damn you and your fucking puppy eyes.” You leaned forward, kissing him. “I hate it when you do that. I really do.” You kissed him again, just to let him know that you didn’t really hate him.

 

 

“Mark, honey, I need you stop being so worried. I just got out of the car.” You mumbled, locking your car. You were currently two seconds into your Ikea trip and Mark was already calling you. “I can handle being outside by myself. You had no problem with it before we found out we were expecting.”

Mark let out some strange noises. “I’m sorrrrrrry!” He whined, knocking his microphone over in the process. “I can’t help it. You’re so delicate that I think something bad is going to happen!”

“Mark.” You let him ramble on for a little bit more before saying, “Mark! Enough with that!” A few people glanced in your direction at your sudden outburst. “I will be fine. It’s not like I’m due today. That’s still a long way to go. So please, calm down and record your videos.”

“Okay, ___. I’ll do just that. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to call you again later. You’re going to be trapped at Ikea for a long ass time.”

“I will be if you don’t let me do my shopping for Christ’s sake.” You said, grabbing a cart and pushing it with your free hand. “Now, I love you and all, but can I pick some stuff out. If you keep talking, I won’t get anything I need.”

He huffed. “Fine. I’ll let you shop. But I’ll call again after three more videos. Okay?” You let out a soft ‘Mhm’, not really wanting to answer the next time he called. “I love you. Have fun shopping.”

 

 

The only things that weren’t too heavy to carry out were the lamps and a few rugs to replace the old ones in the bedroom and the living room. Everything else was going to be shipped to the house within the next days.

Giving a sigh, you sat down on one of the display chairs. Mark was due to call in seconds. And he did. Swiping your thumb across the screen you answered. “Hey baby. How goes recording?” You asked, looking up at the ceiling.

You could hear Mark’s smirk across the phone. “Recording went great. I finished up a few games, debated about some choices. But everything worked in the end. How is shopping going so far?”

“Well lamps and rugs are the only things I can bring to the house in person. Everything else will be shipped. So in a way, it was a successful trip in my eyes.” You rubbed your stomach. “I might stop to get something to eat. Baby and I are starving.”

Mark laughed. “Okay, but make sure it isn’t bad for Baby. You know your doctor won’t be too happy about that.”

“Yeah yeah. The doctor can go suck my dick.” You muttered, standing up carefully.

“No fan recognitions today?” He asked, the sound of his mouse clicking in the background.

“Uh, no. Not today. They’re probably steering clear of me because of hormones or because they’re too intimidated. Though, I don’t see why.”

“You wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, that’s a lie. You would hurt me.”

“Yes, but in a good way. You know that much.” You said, making your way to the checkout. “Before I forget, is there anything you want for lunch? I don’t feel like cooking today.”

“Yeah, bring me whatever you’re going to get. Except without all the extra you’re going to add.” He said.

“Alright. I’ll be home in an hour, give or take a few minutes. I love you.”

 

 

Since you and Mark announced your pregnancy, people congratulated you. Normally, they were people who hadn’t watched the video. And you didn’t mind it. Just as long as they didn’t spam it.

People were guessing the gender and even placing bets for the name as well as for when the baby was due. Some of them were way off but then again, it wasn’t up to you when the baby was born. The baby would come when it felt like it was time to come.

“____, is that you?” A male voice asked in front of you. You looked up from your phone. That voice was too familiar for you which meant it was not a fan.

“Uh, yes? What can I help you with?” You put your phone into your bag, not wanting to be rude.

He smiled. “God, you haven’t changed at all! Look at you! You still look like you did the last time I saw you!”

Confusion over took you as you tried to figure out who he was, but nothing was coming to you.

“It’s me, Eric. Remember? We dated for about two months before you called it quits.”

You gave a weak smile. You were not ready for this not at all. “Right. Right. Eric. So, how have things been?”

“Oh, they’ve been great. Except that… well I think they would be better if we gave us another try.”

You forced a laugh, clutching your bag to your side. “Right. But, uh, that would be impossible for me.”

“And why would that be?”

Was he blind or was he just playing stupid?

“Well, uh, I’m currently in a relationship and we’re expecting a child. Those would be valid reasons not to get together.”

Eric scratched his arm. “I guess you have a point. Who is the lucky guy who stole your heart?”

You slipped out phone into your bag and pulled up a picture of Mark to show Eric.

“Okay, wow, you really stepped up your game from me.” He muttered, laughing a bit. “I can see why I haven’t heard from you in a long time.”

“Well, things change Eric.” You said, glancing at your phone when it started ringing. It was Mark. “Sorry, I should answer this.” You slid your thumb across the screen. “Hey honey, I’m just waiting for the food. Is there anything else you need for me to get?”

“I was thinking about donuts. There’s a donut place nearby right? I figured you would want some too.”

“Actually, yes, there’s one down the street. I’ll pick up the usual. I’ll be home in maybe thirty minutes? Can’t rush perfection of food.”

“And how are you and Baby doing?” He asked, smiling to himself.

“Baby and I are doing good. Starving. But the wait will be worth it.” You replied, heading to the counter to get the food from an employee. “Actually, I was just handed the food. I’ll see you at home when I pick up donuts.”

Mark whined, wanting to talk to you for a little longer.

“Honey, come on, you can’t keep calling me. I’ll be home soon. I love you.” You hung up, giving a happy sigh.

“At least he makes you happy from what I can tell.” Eric said, rubbing the back of his head. “I’ll take my leave then.”

You gave a nod. “Just so you know, I’m not the same person from two years ago. Things do change, you just have to do it yourself.” You said, slipping your phone back into your pocket. “Have a good evening.”

Hopefully, you wouldn’t run into him again after today. And hopefully no one would forward him anything about what you did as a job.


	13. Breaking In

The digital clock next to the bed read that it was currently three in the morning and your phone was singing a happy song. A groan left your lips as you rolled onto your side and fumbled around to silence it. Luckily, Mark was still asleep. But as soon as you ignored the call, it started ringing again, an unknown number on the screen. Answering was going to be the only way you could get it to stop ringing.

Sitting up, you slid your thumb across the screen. “Hello?” You answered, your voice still filled with sleep and you weren’t too happy about it either. Slipping out of bed, you made your way to the living room, mindful of the fact that Chica was somewhere in the house asleep. You just couldn’t remember where.

“Ah!” Whoever was on the other end of the phone sounded surprised that you answered. They probably hadn’t thought about what they would do if you even answered. “S-Sorry about the late call.”

Giving a groan, you sat down on the couch. You knew that voice far too well. It was your ex-boyfriend Eric. Coming to think of it, how did he even get your number? You had changed your number a few times after you had ended that chapter of your life. 

“Eric, how the fuck did you even get this number? Also, do you have any goddamn idea what time it is? I am a pregnant woman who needs her goddamn sleep. You better have an excuse for waking me up at the ass crack of dawn.” 

He laughed nervously on the other end. “Uh, well, your mom gave me your number. And I know how late it is. Remember that I’m in California too…” His voice trailed off.

“Can you just get to the point? I’m really tired and I don’t want to take out my tiredness of Mark. He’s already busy as it is-“

“Is he home?” He asked suddenly.

“What- of course he’s at home. We both work from home. Where else would he be?” You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Look, I don’t have time for this bullshit. I’m going to hang up.”

“No!” He exclaimed, causing you to stop. “Please don’t hang up. I don’t know what to do…” He said softly. “I have nothing more to live for. I-I just can’t anymore.”

Those were words you knew all too well. Mostly because you said them a lot when you were growing up. 

“I lost you two years ago… and I know it isn’t an excuse to call you out of nowhere but I really do need you. The thought… just the mere thought of you is the only thing that keeps me going.” He admitted.

“Eric, no. I’m sorry, but that’s not how it works. You can’t just expect me to drop everything I’ve made for myself and leave Mark just because you ask me to come back to you.” You shook your head. “Nothing works like that. I love Mark. We’re going to start a family. And if you don’t like it… then I’m sorry.” 

He huffed, agitated at the answer you had given him. “Everywhere I go is Mark this, Mark that! What is so goddamn special about this asshole?!” 

Chica trotted into the living room, nuzzling her head against your feet. You were silent at his sudden outburst. 

The living room light flicked on. Mark was awake. You looked back and gave him a weak smile, covering the microphone with your hand. 

“You’ll never guess who called me. “ You said softly, trying to make it sound like you had won the lottery or the President himself had called you.

“I’m guessing it’s Eric?” He asked, pointing to the phone. You gave him a nod, putting the call on speakerphone.

“Are you even listening anymore, bitch? I don’t even know why that asshole is even putting up with your shit if you go mute every time shit doesn’t go your way.” Eric was probably venting, urging for you to answer when Mark came in. 

Mark sat down next to you, laughing to himself. “Hey.” He said, his voice filled with a gruff tone. “This is the asshole here, assuming that’s what you called me.” Eric went silent.

“I’ll have you know that ___, is not a bitch. She’s much more than that. Now, I’m sorry you missed out on what an amazing person she is, but you’re not getting her back. We’re forming a family. We’re going to get married. Not now, but in the future we are.”

Eric grunted, something he did often when he wasn’t too happy. It was something you noticed those few weeks you were together. 

“I’ll also have you know that she has changed a lot since then. She’s much more vocal.” You felt your cheeks heat up at the comment. It was something that could be taken either way. “Whenever things don’t go her way, like, let’s say when we’re playing Mario Kart, she is very vocal. In more ways than one. She’s also very demanding, but in a good way. All things you never noticed.”

“What the fuck do you want asshole? What can you give her that I can’t?” At this point, Eric was just being persistent and Mark was being patient. 

“Everything. A home, love, food. You name it. Most importantly, we will never be out of a job. Our jobs our very demanding, in a good way. Let me ask you something, when was the last time you gave back to the community?” Eric was silent, that was more than enough for Mark. “I thought so. I give back a lot. Just about everything. So next time, remember that I’m helping her and that you just harmed her.” He leaned forward and ended the call.

“Well damn, that was just impressive.” You said, wanting to tackling him in a hug but couldn’t. “Let me call you next time they don’t give me biscuits at the chicken place by the market.” You muttered, leaning against him.

“Someone had to put him in his place. I know you wouldn’t just up and leave but it was frustrating me seeing he wouldn’t give up about it.” 

“He probably won’t give up any time soon either. He’s probably planning some stupid shit to try to win my heart over. It’s not going to happen. Mostly because you have my heart.” You smiled up at him. He leaned down and kissed your forehead.

“Come on, being up this late or early- it can’t be good for Baby.” He said, gently poking your side. 

“Alright, alright. I’m going. I’m going.” You stood up and stretched a bit, pulling your shirt down when it rose up. “You’re recording with the Grumps later today right?” You asked, heading to the bedroom.

“Yeah. They really want to see you. Mostly because they want to know if they’re going to be called Aunts or Uncles. You know, normal friend things.” He said, ushering Chica into the bedroom as well.

“I hope they’re not planning some kind of baby shower or something.” You said, watching Chica as she made herself comfortable by the foot of the bed.

“Why? Do you not want a baby shower?” He asked, stopping in his track. 

“Please tell me they don’t have one planned.” You groaned. “I don’t need a reminder. I already know I’m pregnant.” 

“I wouldn’t call it a baby shower per say, it’s more like a party congratulating us. With a few gifts for the baby.” 

“Unbelievable. I would expect this from Cathy but not from you.”

He held up his hands, trying to show that he was innocent. “I had nothing to do with it. I’m a victim just as much as you are.” 

“Honestly, they will never stop surprising me.” You muttered, putting your phone onto the drawer (after making sure it was on silent). 

“Arin even said something about making you a temporary Grump. I think they like you better than myself. Which is hurtful.”

Smiling to yourself, you sat back down more than ready to go back to bed. But it someone else had plans for you. Chica perked up. 

“What’s wrong girl?” You asked, looking at her then back at Mark. Chica got up and sprinted out of the bedroom towards the front entrance where she started barking. Mark signaled for you to stay in the bedroom before he went to fetch Chica.

The sound of glass shattering was more than enough to cause you to jump. Then everything was silent. Your nervous were on edge now. Carefully, you made your way to the living room. Warm air was filling the area. The window was shattered. Glass was scattered by the window closest to the entrance. Mark was in the distance, his phone in his hand. He signaled for you to come over.

“No sir, he should have no grudge against us. No sir, two years ago. Yes, I’m sure it was him. He called a few minutes ago. He could have been watching the house.” There was a pause as he listened to the person on the other line. “Yes, the windows in front. Our dog might have scared him off.” Another pause. “Attempted, probably.” He gave a shrug.

The call continued for another seven minutes. It mostly consisted of Mark giving the officer the information to the house. They were probably going to come over and look around for a suspect. Mark had more information than you did for sure.

After he finished the call with the officer, he sighed, putting his phone down. “It was Eric. I recognized his voice when he ran off, cursing into the night.” He pulled you against his chest, rubbing your back. “I hope they catch him, better yet, we should put in a restraining order against him.”

Giving a sigh, you pushed yourself away from Mark. “I’m tired…” You muttered. It was true, you were tired, physically and mentally. “Wake me up if you need anything, oaky?” You kissed him, letting Chica follow you.

Today was going to be another long day. So you just curled up on the bed and let Chica climb onto the bed to comfort you. Mark was going to be busy, giving the officers what had happened. Hopefully you would be fast asleep by then.


	14. A New Challenge

When you woke up, you felt like utter shit. You were more tired now than you were hours ago. Deep inside you knew it was going to be a long day. Mark had called to reschedule the Grump recording mostly not to leave you alone but because the window had to be replaced.

Dragging yourself was no problem and neither was getting dressed. You just didn’t have the want to do anything but curl up on the couch with Chica. Which only reminded you on the fact that she needed to be walked.

Knocking against Mark’s recording room, you opened the door. He looked up at you and smiled. “How are you feeling to day?”

“Like shit, but I’m going to take Chica to the park. Maybe vlog a little bit, you know vent.”

He pushed his seat away from the desk and stood up, walking over to you. “Okay, just as long as you don’t do too much walking.” His kissed your forehead then loving rubbed your small baby bump.

You laughed softly, flicking his forehead. “I’m just going to walk her for a little bit. Don’t worry. I’ll let her run around, stretch her legs. It’ll be fun.”

 

“Come on girl.” You said, opening the back door of your car to let Chica out. She jumped out and waited next to you. “We’re gonna have fund today aren’t we?” You asked, attaching her leash to her collar. “We’re going to take a walk while Mommy vlogs.” You closed the door and made sure you had your camera with you.

“Today is a beautiful day! Though the heat is a little too much for me, but the walk will be fun!” You exclaimed, turning the camera to Chica as she walked alongside you. “And the exercise will be good for the three of us.” You turn the camera back to yourself. “Yes, the three of us. Me, Chica, and the Baby. Which we refer to as Baby now.”

The vlog went on for a few more minutes. You did a few laps with Chica around the park, becoming excited each time a cute animal crossed your path. Eventually you took a seat on the bench and let out a soft sigh.

“Honestly guys, despite how happy I may look. I am a total mess right now.” You laughed weakly. “There was an… incident last night. Or early this morning, I guess. It was three in the morning. Someone, who will go unnamed, decided to make a reappearance in my life. After two years, nonetheless. Some words were exchanged, all over the phone. Now, I was fine with talking. But- and this is crossing the line- trying to break into _our_ home is enough.

“Our home is our home. Where we make our lives. Where we work from. But doing that because you didn’t get what you wanted? That’s just pathetic! It’s the lowest of the low.” You paused, swallowing. “Why would you do that? To prove a point? To try to get us to do something? It’s not that easy. Threatening people to do what you want them to do will do _nothing_. Now, I’ll forgive that person but I will _never_ forget. No one was hurt, well except the windows. But those are being fixed as we speak, I hope.”

You blinked away some tears you had no idea were forming. “On another more happy note, I don’t think you guys have noticed but look-“You showed the camera you small baby bump. “Baby is growing! Four- almost five months, can you believe that? Now, our doctor said that I won’t show too much. Mostly because I’m so short and skinny, but that’s fine with me. As long as Baby is healthy!”

Chica jumped onto the bench and nuzzled your cheek. “I think Chica agrees. As long as she doesn’t eat Baby!” You rubbed the top of her head. “I’m kidding, you wouldn’t do that. I just hope you don’t mind Baby tugging at your fur when they can sit up.” Chica moved in closer and sniffed the camera. “I think I’ll end the vlog here. Nothing much is going to happen today. Unless you want me to show off the new window, but let’s be honest, that’s just boring.” You smiled, genuinely this time. “Alright guys, I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.” You stopped recording and looked at Chica. “How about we go home? This is more than enough time outside for the two of us.”

 

Unlocking the door, you slipped inside and let Chica run past you. Mark was sitting in the living room, looking up at the ceiling. “I have nothing to do.” He said softly, pushing his glasses up.

“Well that’s a first.” You said, closing the door. “Why? I thought you were going to record today? Did something happen?”

He shook his head then nodded. “I took a break to let the window repair guys in. Took about an hour, I returned and…well, my channel was hacked. I can’t get in. I’m doing everything I can do, but...” His voice trailed off.

You frowned. “Well that’s a load a shit. Shame on those who hacked you. I hope they face the consequences.” You walked over to him and ran your hands through his fading hair. He would need to get it redyed soon. “How about you upload on my channel in the meanwhile?”

He glanced at you. “As much as I love the idea of that, I couldn’t just invade your account.”

“You’re not invading my account. You’ll be a guest. That way fans still have their daily dose of their God.” You said, joking about the God part. “We can film stupid challenges that won’t harm me or make me sick to my stomach.”

“But you haven’t been sick at all.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t get stomach aches. Now, let’s think of some fun challenges to do.”

 

You angled the camera, making sure that it wasn’t giving too much away. Once you found a perfect spot, you told Mark to set down the chairs. When you told him to sit down, you held up a thumb, signaling that you had found the perfect spot.

Sitting down, you adjusted your shirt and picked up the remote for the camera and hit record. Mark smiled, waving at the camera. “Hey guys! So as some of you have noticed, Mark’s channel has run into some trouble. For now at least. But me, being the amazing girlfriend that I am, suggested that until everything is resolved, we film challenges and act like the fools we are.”

Mark wiggled his eyebrows at you. “She’s amazing isn’t she? I really appreciate it. But enough of the sappy stuff, you guys probably came here to watch something funny. Explain the challenge, ___.”

Smiling, you looked back at the camera. “Well, it’s not much of a challenge because I will clearly have the upper hand on this one. This one is all about music. Yes, you heard that right. Music. I have a paper bag just off to the side with letters of the alphabet. Either one can draw, and the first one to come up with a real song, as in I can buy it on Itunes or Google Play, will get the point. But, the song has to be from an artist or band with that letter. For example, if I draw an A, then I can sing… any song from Adele. As long as you know the lyrics you can get the point. Also the other can steal points if the person who draws can’t come up with one.” Mark nodded along.

“This is all her idea by the way. She just wants to see me make a fool of myself.”

“More than you already do, anyway.” You said, grabbing the paper bag and mixing the letters up. “Ladies first.” You held the bag out for him.

“I’m the lady? Who is the one carrying my child?” He asked, drawing the letter S. You giggled, knowing that he had this one in the bag.

“Okay… S…” He wiggled the scrap of paper around.

“Come on, don’t make me steal this one from you already!” You exclaimed, snatching the scrap from his fingers.

“Give me a minute!” He said, putting on his thinking face. He had nothing. He couldn’t come up with one band with an S. Meanwhile you had two already.

“Time is up! You suck at this already. Now, I have two. Mostly because they are friends of ours and I love them to bits.” You watched as Mark realized who you were talking about. “Skyhill and Starbomb. Now, I’ll give you this one because you’re suffering the pregnancy brain for me.”

You two continued for a while until Mark started saying that the game was rigged. Which prompted you to say that it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t listen to much music. Once that ended, you started a new challenge, something that was like charades except with crappy drawing. Which you both pointed out every single turn.

It wasn’t something that was planned, but the two of you were having so much fun that you didn’t really care.


	15. Morning Tea

After all the excitement from last night, you found yourself up at seven in the morning. While your boyfriend was still asleep, you decided to wake up and make yourself some tea and maybe catch up on a book while you were at it.

“Morning, Girl.” You said softly, petting Chica as she followed you into the kitchen. She had grown attached to you, it was probably because she knew you were pregnant. “Papa is still asleep, so we have to be as quiet as possible.”

Rummaging through the drawers, you looked for your packets of green tea, decaffeinated of course. You didn’t want your doctor on your ass the next time you went back.

After you found the packet, you filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. In the meanwhile you were going to vlog, you had way too much energy for someone who was pregnant.

“Hey guys, it’s currently- oh god, look at my hair.” You quickly attempted to fix your hair, to no avail. “Anyway, it’s seven in the morning. And I am up way too early, so I’m making some tea.” You smiled, making your way to the kitchen. “The window is fixed as well, just a heads up by the way.” You stopped by the stove. “Oh, Mark is still asleep. He’s probably tired from yesterday’s events. But hopefully everything is fixed today. If not, expect more stupid challenges today or tomorrow. Depending on if either of us is up to the task.”

You glanced at the kettle when it started whining. “Water is heated, now time for some yummy tea. And maybe some fruit. Because I do not want to go outside.” You admitted, turning off the stove to pour the steaming water. “I ventured the wild enough for this week.” You smiled at the camera.

Chica brushed against your leg. “Chica, what are you doing?” You asked, turning the camera towards your dog. “You hungry? Is that it?” You asked, following her towards her bowls. “Yeah, you’re probably hungry. Let’s feed the puppersnup.” You said, opening the cabinet that held her food.

“You should let me do that.” Mark said from behind you. You squealed, scared from his sudden appearance. “Sorry, I thought you heard me come in.” He admitted.

“God damn you,” You smacked his arm, moving to the side. “Nice bedhead by the way. You should keep it like that.” You said, pressing a kiss against his cheek. He wrapped an arm around your waist.

“And how did you two sleep?” He asked, rubbing his cheek against yours. His stubble tickled. It was a habit of his. “And I mean you and Baby. Chica sleeps like a log. I know that.”

“Baby and I slept well. Thank you for asking. There’s still water in the kettle if you want to make coffee or tea.” You said, wiggling out of his hold. “I was going to feed Chica before I fed the two of us.”

“I’ll feed Chica if you make me some tea. It’s not a fair exchange but that way you’re not exhausting yourself.” He said, kneeling down. “Green tea is fine, I know that’s what you have.”

“Damn skippy. We’ve been together for almost two year, you should know the things I drink.” You said, pouring another mug of water.

“Did you just say ‘damn skippy’?” He asked, glancing up at you. “Did you just time travel in these few seconds you were standing there?”

You whined. “Don’t make fun of my word choice. I don’t make fun of you when you’re English fails. Also, have you told your family about the little package?” You asked.

“What little package? I don’t remember- oh, you mean Baby.” He said, standing up. “No, not yet. I was waiting to tell them.”

“Mark, I’m five months pregnant. Are you going to wait until my due date and call your mom and stepmom? ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, ___, was pregnant, you’re grandmothers! Congratulations!’” You said, mocking his normal tone of voice.

He started at you with a dumbfounded look on his face. “No.” You had caught him red handed. “Okay, maybe a little. But I don’t- I’m not ready to tell them.” You looked back at him, giving him a look that asked, ‘oh, really?’ “Knowing them, they’re going to coddle you and that’s my job.”

“Hun, they’re your family. It’s their job to coddle me, especially because I’m carrying you’re child. Plus, I think it’ll be fun to be smothered with love for once.” It wasn’t a feeling you knew, it was all too strange to you, but it couldn’t hurt. Especially because your own mother never liked showing affection to you. Your dad showered you with love at least.

Mark stayed silent for a little bit before giving a nod. “Okay, but we need to do it before they won’t let you fly. The third trimester right?”

You gave a nod, you were currently halfway through your second trimester. “It’ll be fun seeing them. Last time I saw them was when your stomach decided it was a cool time to try to kill you.” You gently jabbed his stomach.

He huffed. “Enough of that. I’ll get started looking for flights and tell them we’re coming to visit. Hopefully they don’t jump to conclusions.”

“There isn’t much of a conclusion to jump. There’s already a baby in here.” You said, gently rubbing your belly. “I think they’ll be more than happy to find out though.”

Mark smiled, gently touching your baby bump. “Yeah, they will be happy. My mom probably had a bet going that I would be the first one to have a kid.” He kissed your forehead.

 

“So, we have some great news. No, we’re not getting married.” You said, switching the camera to your other arm. “Mark and I decided to go to Cincinnati, mostly because we haven’t told his family.” You smiled weakly. “And we’re going to record their reactions. So, all I need from you guys is to not tell them. And if you have told them, they probably don’t believe you. So-“ You held your finger to your lips. “Keep it a secret until then.”

Mark snuck up behind you and wrapped his arms around his waist. “It’ll be what, the third time?” You nodded. “The third time she goes to see the family, when I’m not lying in a hospital bed in pain.”

“It’ll be fun. We’ll vlog when we can. No promises though. Let’s see how long it takes for them to figure out that I really am pregnant.”

“They’ll probably just think that you ate a lot and gained some weight. That’s what the doctor said. She should start showing more around the sixth or seventh month. I’m still waiting for Baby to kick.”

You made a face. “I’m not ready to feel that. Baby is going to beat me up from the inside. Doesn’t sound pretty and it probably doesn’t feel good either. I dunno, we’ll see. If Baby wants to cooperate with us, the Baby will kick when we’re visiting.”

“I think that’ll be proof for them. But we do have an appointment later on this week. More ultrasounds which means more pictures. We’ll show them those as well.”

“Can’t wait for this trip.” You smiled, shifting the camera again. “Well, until next time guys. I hope you have a great day. And remember, keep this a secret. Especially if you want to see their reactions.”

Mark waved, nuzzling his face against your shoulder. “Also, expect regular updates until then.”

“Did you get your channel back?” He nodded, still nuzzling his face against your shoulder. “That’s great! So, regular updates from him and vlogs from me. Unless we feel like having a challenge here and there. Once again, have a great day guys!”

Mark waved again, resting his chin on your shoulder. “Buh-bye.”


	16. Pre-Flight Jitters

It felt like everyone’s eyes were on you as you made your way through the security line. But it could’ve just been that they were looking at your boyfriend and his wild blue hair. He _seriously_ needed a haircut. But that just meant that you could play with his hair.

“Are you nervous?” Mark asked, running his fingers through your loose hair. It was a way he kept you calm in situations like this. “I know you’re not a big flyer, but I’m here with you.” He said softly, pressing a kiss against your hair.

“It’s not that. The airport just puts me on edge. I don’t know why. I always feel like I’m running out of time and have to panic.” You admitted, tugging your cardigan closer to your body.

“You have the ultrasound picture with you right?” He asked, leaning down to whisper in your ear. You could smell his cologne. Thank God your stomach didn’t flip when you smelt it. For the first two months and a half, you could not be in the same room as him without gagging.

“Mhm, they’re in my bag.” You said, tapping your messenger bag that held several items including your phone and laptop. “I’m not going to lose them. They’re important. Second picture of our little gamer.”

“Little gamer. I like the sound of that.” He smiled, kissing your temple.

“Next.” The TSA worker called, looking at the two of you with annoyance. You grabbed his hand and pulled him along. You smiled at the worker, holding out your boarding passes and needed identification. “Going out again, Mr. Fischbach?” He asked, looking over the documents.

“Yes. Going to see family this time. We have some great news to share with my family before it’s too late to tell them.” The worker looked you over.

“I don’t see a ring anywhere, so you can’t be getting married. I’m assuming it’s something else then?” The worker circled the needed information then handed the documents back.

“Second thing, yes. We’re uh, starting a family and we’re going to tell them. Plus, she hasn’t seen the family for a while and they’ll just love it.” Mark took the documents and smiled.

The worker smiled. “Congratulations to the two of you and have a great trip.”

“Thank you. Have a great day.” You said, looking back at your boyfriend before proceeding through the check.

 

Giving out a sigh, you sat down, leaning your head against Mark’s shoulder. Thank god they only needed you to go through the metal detector. Having to do the full body scan was the main thing you were worrying about. You really didn’t want to do that part.

“The hard part is over. After this it’s smooth sailing.” Mark said, rubbing your knee. “There’s going to be a comfortable bed and a nice warm meal at the end of this.”

Your cheeks heated up, memories of when you visited for the first time came flooding back. “Oh God, don’t remind me. We had to sneak around your mom…”

He chuckled, looking at you lovingly. “I remember it too. One of the best memories I have to be honest.” He admitted.

“I felt horrible afterwards too. God, your mom and brother were looking at me like I was crazy. And I was, because I was worrying over absolutely nothing.”

“Now you don’t, you give no fucks anymore. Which is partially my fault, but hey, I like it that way.”

You groaned, playfully pushing him. “Shut up, dork.” You laughed after a while.

“If you’re hungry, I can go find us something to snack on. You know, nothing is better than expensive airport food.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “I’ll go do that. Maybe that way I won’t go crazy. Hopefully they have donuts or something.” You stood up, stretching. “Do not call me if I don’t return in twenty minutes. I was probably caught up with something. Hell, maybe I’m in the bathroom.”

He made a face then shooed you away. “Just go get the food. I’ll keep our seats warm.” You kissed him quickly before heading on your hunt for food or at least something that wasn’t covered in fat or grease.

 

“Yes, donuts.” You muttered to yourself as you made your way to the end of the line. Right now, all you could think about was a blueberry cake donut. It was moist and just yummy. Hopefully, Mark wouldn’t insist on taking a bite out of your donut, because this time you were not going to let him.

When it was your turn in line, you ordered your normal donuts (for the two of you) and sweet tea. Mostly because you loved the tea they served here. It was going to be a while before the actual food was handed to you. Nothing scrolling through Instagram couldn’t speed up.

Mark had posted one of his normal ‘Airport Modeling’ pictures, as you called them. They were your favorite for some reason. Laughing you double tapped it then looked up when your order was called. “Thanks...” You muttered to the worker.

You weren’t shocked when you saw a small crowd around Mark. It was no surprise that they recognized him. With the blue hair, anyone could spot him in a crowd. Smiling, you stood off to the side, waiting for him to speak to the fans he could.

Mark looked up and smiled at you before standing up. “Excuse me guys, the lady awaits me.” The small crowd groaned then started breaking up except for a few who lingered around. “Donuts?”

“They were calling my name.” You admitted, with a shrug. “And so was the sweet tea.” You handed him the bag.

“Before I forget, they want a picture of both of us.” He said, putting the bag on a seat.

“Of me? What? Nooooo, they don’t want to meet me.” You looked at the few people who were waiting eagerly. “Really? Geez, whatever you guys had better be good.”

Mark raised an eyebrow. “No drugs for the lady. None at all.” You laughed.

“Kidding. Sure, I think it’s cute that they waited for me. Though I don’t see why not.”

 

Giving a small smile to the little group, you waved and watched them leave. They had their own flights to catch and yours was going to board soon. “We should scarf these donuts down.” Mark muttered, opening the bag.

“I got you an extra one because you are not going to eat mine. My donut is for me and Baby. Not for you.” You said, taking a sip from your sweet tea.

Mark smiled lovingly at you. “Yeah. I know. You need all the food you can get.” He said, slipping his hand into yours. “Eat your donut while we wait. I think I’ll save mine for later.”

“You just want to take some of mine.” You said, handing him your sweet tea for a second. “I guess I could give you a little bit of mine. Just a nibble.” With one hand, you opened the bag and pulled out your donut. “One bite.” You said, holding it out to him. Mark then took the biggest bite you had ever seen. He grinned at you. It was planned from the start. “I’m keeping your donut.” You muttered, eating the leftovers.

He swallowed his mouthful then kissed your cheek. “Sorry. That donut was amazing. I don’t mind if you decide to keep mine.”

“Get away from me with your crumby mouth.” You said, wiping crumbs away from your cheeks. “And good, because that donut is just calling for me. Baby is going to be born mad at you because of this.”

“At least you’re not nervous anymore, right, ___?” He asked, rubbing the back of your hand.

“I’m not. But I am dying of thirst, so if you could?” You asked, holding your free hand out for your sweet tea. Mark took a quick sip before handing it back to you. You made a mental note not to give him any of your food to hold.


	17. Surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me!

Mark’s family was more than happy to greet the two of you when you landed. There were hugs all around and they asked how the trip was.

The only thing you could think of, was telling them that you were pregnant. The ultrasound pictures were burning a hole in your bag. You were ready for this.

Setting the table, you glanced up. Mark was helping his mom in the kitchen. You instantly thought how cute it was, especially because he towered over her. 

Mark looked back at you, it was quick glance before turning his attention elsewhere. It was up to you to either let them know now or wait until dinner was in session. Now was the best bet. 

“Um,” You spoke up, patting your back pocket. “Can Mark and I speak to the two of you?” 

Both his brother and mom looked up. “Are you finally getting married?” Tim asked, smiling happily.

Mark glared at him. “No, I mean, not that I don’t want to marry her. Just, not now. At another time I’ll marry her.”

“Actually, it’s something better than that.” You said, heading in their direction. Mark draped his arm over your shoulders. “Here.” You pulled the pictures out and held them out for the two of them to see.

You could see the shock on their faces as they stared at the pictures. Time was the first one to say anything. 

“You’re lying. There’s no way-“ he took one more look at them. “Really?”

“Five months and counting.” 

Mark’s mom just blinked before looking at the two of you. Currently, you couldn’t tell if she was happy or not. 

“You’re going to be a grandmother.” Mark said, smiling a bit. The excitement slowly took over and she enveloped you in a hug.

Dinner was amazing. Not to mention it was home cooked. Those were the best in your opinion. You wanted more of those meals. 

You hung around the living room, dodging Lucy and her gigantic self. Mostly because she was the over excited one and you didn’t need her crushing you.

But within a matter of minutes, you felt your energy leave you. Nudging Mark, you pointed down the hall, an indicator that you were heading to bed.

Mark nodded, kissing your forehead. “I’ll join you in a little bit.” You nodded and padded down the hall and into his old room.

You had welcomed sleep as soon as your head touched the pillow. It might have been the stress from flying that drained your energy. But you didn’t mind it one bit. It meant sleep and you could never turn that down. 

But the sweet sleep didn’t last long. You were awoken by a sharp pain in your abdomen. Wincing, you clutched your pillow. It couldn’t have been dinner, you’ve had that meal before. 

“M-Mark!” You cried out, biting your bottom lip as another wave of pain seeped through your body. “Mark!” You shouted, a little louder, hoping he would hear you.

Within seconds, the door burst open and he looked at you with worry in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything… I don’t know. I’m in pain.” 

Mark furled his eyebrows. “That’s not good. Let’s get you to the hospital.” Carefully, he slipped his hands underneath your body and picked you up. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.” He kissed your forehead to calm you down, but it had no effect.

Doctors swarmed you as soon as Mark handed you over. He told them you were five months pregnant. Their priority was to find out what was happening and if possible, save the life of the baby and yourself.

“This isn’t good…” A doctor muttered to a nearby nurse. “This baby is coming now. She’s going to be a tiny thing but we’re going to save her. Notify her husband and his family.” The nurse nodded before heading to the waiting room.

“____, we’re going to have to perform an emergency cesarean. We’ll do everything we can to save your daughter or son. After she or he is out of your womb, it’s all up to them.” Giving a weak nod, you closed your eyes. “We’re going to start prepping for surgery. The nurse went to tell your husband and family. Only your husband will be able to enter with you.” 

You didn’t feel like correcting him. 

Mark rubbed the back of your hand, worry was forever plastered on his face. “Baby is going to make it. Baby is strong, just like his mother.”

“Just like both of us.” You corrected, smiling a bit. “He’s our son after all. But this means we’ll have to stay here longer than expected…”

He gave a weak smile, leaning down to kiss your forehead. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I won’t leave your side.”

The nurse said that the medication would take effect soon and that you would feel sleepy. To be honest, you didn’t want to sleep, you wanted to be awake through it all. But it just depended on your body. 

“We’ll be starting soon.” The nurse announced, looking at the two of you. “We advise you to stay behind the blue tarp if you’re squeamish.”

Silence engulfed the operating room. You were hoping everything would turn out fine. And Mark was worrying way too much for himself. He was going to worry himself into the grave.

“Here we go.” The doctor finally said. “You have a beautiful and tiny baby girl.” No cry, there was no way she was fully developed. She was four months early. 

Mark let out a choked sob, looking down at you. “She’s so tiny…” He whispered, rubbing the back of your hand. “But she’s going to grow up to be really strong. I can feel it.” He admitted.

“I love you and out little girl. Whom we still have to name.” 

“I was thinking Fae would be a great name. It’ll go with your last name.”

“I think it’s better if we use yours. I mean, we’re getting in the future. So, why not use yours?”

“Fae Fischbach. It has a certain ring to it.” He smiled, caressing your cheek.


	18. Homecoming

The months seemed to blur together and before you knew it, you no longer had to stand outside that window separating you and your daughter. You went from watching her fight for her life when she was born months earlier than planned, to being two months old. She would still have to stay in the hospital for a little while longer. The doctor wanted to make sure she was strong enough. No complaints from you.

“Hey there, Baby Girl…” You said softly when you approached the incubator. Fae kicked her legs in response. A smile formed on your lips as you watched your tiny and fragile little girl react to your voice. “How is my princess doing today?” She furled her hands up, blinking at the sudden acknowledgment. 

“She’s a fighter. Some babies wouldn’t make it this far. You’re lucky ones.” A nurse said, smiling a bit. “I can tell it’s the love you have for her that keeps her going. Oh, and her father’s love too. Speaking of, is he not with you today?”

Shaking your head, you look up at the nurse. “Not today, he’s kind of behind on work. His brother drive me here. In exchange that I send him pictures of Fae. Lucky for him, she’s awake today.” You joked, smiling to yourself. 

“You can hold her if you’d like. I’ll show you how to hold her, keeping in mind of all the wiring and such. It’s not that hard once you get used to it. She’ll grow used to your touch and warmth. Whenever her father is free, he can hold her. Just as long as he isn’t afraid he’s going to hurt her.”

You giggled. “He’s going to worry either way. Before she was born, he would make sure I did nothing. It was nice though, because I would have probably overworked myself halfway through.” You pause for a second. “But yes, I would love to hold my tiny princess who couldn’t wait to make her entrance. Just as long as you take a picture so I can send it to her father and uncle.” 

“You have yourself a deal.”

 

After what seemed an eternity to make sure you weren’t bringing any outside germs, the nurse finally sat you down in a chair beside her incubator. Carefully, he scooped the fragile infant out and instructed you on how to hold your child. After a few seconds of repeating everything mentally, you nodded, ready to hold your daughter for the first time.

Fae needed both arms to support her and keep her steady. Mostly because you were afraid to drop her. Something you did not want to happen. 

“Hey there, Precious…” You muttered, smiling down at her. “Hey. How are you today?” You asked, softly. 

The nurse smiled. “Now that’s what makes me love my job. Mother’s speaking to their children like it’s nothing. Even if they can’t reply. Your phone?” He asked, wanting to take a picture. 

“It’s in the front pocket of my bag. Can’t miss it. It has a bulky case because I drop it a lot.” You admitted, glancing up at the nurse. 

“Roger.” He said, spotting your phone almost instantly. “Here we go. Fae, be a good girl and stay awake, you can sleep when you Momma leaves or at least until I take the picture.” 

You giggled, gently caressing your finger against her cheek. “You’re going to be loved by both of us. You’ll have everything you need. Support from the two of us.”

The nurse snapped the picture then slipped your phone back into your purse. “You can stay a little longer. At least until I have to feed her. Then it’s bed time for the little nub.”

 

As much as you didn’t want to leave, you had to at some point. Mostly not to worry Mark, even if you were with your daughter. You thanked the nurse for his time before heading out. 

You had three messages from Mark. A soft giggle escaped your lips as you dialed his number. He picked up immediately. “Hey, Honey. I was spending time with our little girl.”

“How is she doing today?” He asked, leaning back in his seat. “Still improving?”

“Yes she is. She’s our little warrior. The nurse said she’s doing extremely well. Well, I didn’t need to be told, I can tell. She’s growing fast.”

“That sounds like our little girl. Anything fun happen besides being able to be in the same room as her?”

“Well, I did get to hold her. God, Mark, she’s so tiny and too precious for this world. She’s like a mini version of you.” You admitted, hitting the elevator button to head down to the lobby. 

“You got to hold her?! That’s not fair! I hate that I couldn’t hold her! Tomorrow for sure though! I recorded several videos.”

“Of course you will, she’s still your daughter. I give… a month or so before we get to take her home.”

“So around the time we come back from the convention?” He asked. “We should take a lot of pictures so we can show the family and viewers. They’ve been asking about her.”

“I had the nurse take a picture of the two of us. We can post that one on Instagram later tonight. Just to give them some information on why we’ve been a little.. behind.”

“They’ll understand. Family and health comes first.”  
The elevator dinged. “I’ll see you back home, Mark. Your brother should be hanging around here.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll be home in a little bit.” You made kissing noises before hanging up.

 

When you arrived, you were greeted by Lucy who seemed to have grown attached to you. Kneeling down, you patted her head. It reminded you of how much you missed Chica. Poor girl must be worried sick. 

“Alright, Lucy, you can’t steal all her attention. I need her love too.” Mark said, lightly tapping the huge fluffy white dog on the back. “Welcome home. Little bird told me you had pictures.”

“I told you, Mark. Or do I have to check you into the hospital as well? One is enough.” You joked, digging around your bag to find your phone. “Here we are.” You said, unlocking your phone with your fingerprint and pulling up the picture. 

“Look at her. She’s too cute. She’s going to be a photogenic baby for sure.” He said, smiling happily.

“The countdown begins until we can bring her home with us. Chica is going to be confused as all hell. We left a pair and came back with an extra person. Won’t know what hit her.”

“Ryan says she misses us but he adopted a dog a while ago, so she has a friend to play with in the meanwhile.” Mark admitted.

“What did he name the dog?”

“Lego.”

“You with your nightmares and Ryan with his childhood toys. Thank God our daughter didn’t follow that trend.” You said, joking, lightly touching his arm. 

“You dork.” He muttered, pressing a kiss to your lips. “Now, let’s rub that picture in everyone’s face.” A small smirk formed on his lips.

“You’ll do the rubbing in. I’ll just be glad my daughter has survived another day!” You hand him your phone. 

“I’m glad too, but I want them to meet my beautiful daughter!”

 

“Stop being so slow!” You exclaimed, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. A month and a half passed since your first held your daughter, which meant she was almost four months old. The doctor called and said she was ready to go home. The news excited you to the point you couldn’t sleep. 

“Mark, come on!” You stopped near the elevator, waiting for him to catch up. “You are being so slow!”

“I’m walking as fast as I can!” Mark exclaimed, hurrying after you. Since you were excited, you were twice as fast as he was. 

You hit the elevator call button and bounced on the balls of your heels. The happiest smile was plastered onto your face. Your little girl was coming home with you.  
She was still tiny but had gained enough weight, breathed on her own, and was able to keep food down. It was a big improvement. 

“Jesus, we need to take you off whatever sugar you’ve been on as the late.” He muttered, rubbing his hand against his knee.

“Sorry, I’m just reaaaally excited.” You admitted, slipping into the elevator when the doors opened. Mark followed after you.

 

The same nurse from a month ago greeted you and Mark when you approached the counter. A smile formed on his lips. “Look at the beaming parents. I bet you’re ready to take your little one home, aren’t you?”

“Of course. I barely slept at all last night. We went to go buy a few things since most of our stuff is back in California.” You said, glancing up at Mark.

“Well, she’s ready to be taken home.” The nurse said, standing up and leading you to the nursery. “She’s still tiny, but what counts is that she has gained a lot of weight. She’s almost five pounds.” 

Mark placed his hand on the small of your back, knowing you were nervous. What if you failed as a mother? What if something went wrong? 

“It’s going to be okay…” He whispered, kissing your temple.  
“And there she is. Your little bundle.” The nurse said, carefully picking Fae up from the crib. “Which means you can go home. Let me get your paperwork.”

You nod, carefully taking the swaddled infant into your arms. Mark thanks the nurse before turning his attention to the two of you. 

“My two girls, together at last.” He said, gently rubbing his finger against her cheek. “You hear that? We’re going to take you home. Well, to your grandmother’s house. Our house is going to have to wait a little longer.”

Fae looked up at Mark sleepily. The nurse came back. “Mommy, I’m going to need your signature on most of these. Let Fae bond with her dad.”

Worry crossed Mark’s face. This would be one of the few times he held the little girl. “You’ll be fine.” You said. 

“Remember what I taught you the first time?” He gave a stiff nod. “Support her head.” You added, carefully resting Fae in his arms.

The nurse clicked the pen and smiled. “See? That’s another sight I live for. Bonding. Anyway, I marked the places I need your signature. And before you leave, we have a little gift for the three of you.”

“You didn’t have to get us anything.” Mark said, looking up from the sleeping baby. 

“Oh no, it’s a tradition here. To give the parents a hand with some baby items. And since you’re finally a family, well give it you on the way out.” 

“We appreciate the thought.” You said, handing the papers back to the nurse. “It’ll come in handy.” Mark smiled.

 

You slung the diaper bag over your shoulder as you and Mark made your way to the car. Fae was still comfortably fast asleep in Mark’s arms. “The car seat is ready for her. She’s just going to look smaller than she really is in there.”

“____,” Mark said, stopping for a moment. “I want to take this moment in. We’re taking our child home. Amazing isn’t it?” He asked.

You stopped and glanced up at him. “Of course it’s amazing!” You grinned. “We’re going to be a happy family.” 

He smiled, leaning down to kiss you. “Thank you for everything. I love you and our tiny creation.”


	19. Ask the Thing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some more cute fluffiness!

Fae squealed as she tossed her teddy bear onto the ground for the billionth time today. Today marked the ninth month since she was born. Each day, she surprised you and Mark. Showing no signs that she was a premature baby.

A sigh escaped your lips as you look over at Cathy who smiled weakly. “She’s an energetic little one, isn’t she?” She grabbed the bear and held onto it. “I’m surprised she hasn’t cried at all.”

It was stressful enough traveling while you were pregnant, but now that Fae was here, it was ten times as stressful. Cathy pushed Fae bangs from her eyes. “You be good to your Momma, you hear?”

You glare at Cathy. “You’ll be watching her most of the time- well, during panels you will be. Remember who paid your hotel room?”

“Uh, your boyfriend did. I’m not obligated to watch your child, but since she’s a cutie. I will watch her without a doubt.” Mark was currently in one of the restrooms on the plane. “Plus, she’s technically my niece since you’re like a sister to me.”

Fae started whining, reaching out for the teddy bear Cathy had picked up. Cathy gave in within a matter of seconds and handed it back. This time, she clung to it like her life depended on it. 

“How old is she?” An older woman sitting in front of us asked. Her eyes sparkled with excitement every time Fae made a cute noise. 

“Oh, she turns nine months today actually.” You said, shifting her weight to your left knee. 

“No way, she’s so tiny.” 

“She was born super early. I was about six months pregnant when she decided to make her grand entrance. But we couldn’t be happier.”

“I’m glad. It must have been difficult times for the two of you.” The woman looked at Cathy and smiled. “You didn’t want to carry your child?”

You blinked, slightly confused. Then it hit you. “Uh, no, ma’am. It’s not like that. She’s my best friend, but we’re not- my boyfriend is in the restroom. Actually, there he is now.” 

Fae squealed when she caught a glimpse of Mark, instantly making a grabbing motion. She loved to be carried by him. 

“Here. Take your daughter, she’s too energetic.” You said, glancing up at your boyfriend. 

“Let me sit down first.” He said, maneuvering his way between the back of the seats and you and Cathy. He sat down. “Come here, princess. Giving your Mommy a hard time?” He asked, poking her nose. 

“How do you do it?” The woman asked. “With the three of you.” You knew she didn’t mean Fae. This lady did not understand, did she?

Mark shook his head. “It’s not that hard actually. She’s a good girl. A daddy’s girl. Something I don’t think mah lady appreciates.”

“Hun, she didn’t mean us and Fae. Ma’am, it’s only the two of us.” You motioned to Mark and yourself. “That is our daughter. She-“ You pointed to Cathy, “is a family friend, happily married. My boyfriend and I, are going to Atlanta for business- well, it’s part of what we do. Cathy, she has never been to Atlanta, so she ditched her husband for the weekend, not really though. He’s in Tokyo for business.”

The woman blinked. “Oh,” her answer was curt and filled with disappointment. Like that wasn’t the answer she was expecting. 

“God…” You muttered, running your hand over your face. The woman opened her mouth. 

“You said business? What do the two of you do?” She asked.

“I’m a nurse, thank you for asking…” Cathy muttered, pouting a bit.

“We’re both online personalities. Meaning we’re on the Internet where we make our living. Mark, is a Let’s Player, where he plays video games but often posts different stuff. I sometimes intrude on his channel. I, post videos about what goes on in our life. For the last nine months, it’s been mostly videos of our daughter.”

“They’re probably tired of them.” He said, smiling as Fae grabbed onto his index finger. 

“I bed to differ, most of them love it. They’re sucker for babies, especially if that baby is yours.” You turn to the woman again. “He’s pretty popular. Not like, celebrity popular, but he gets recognized pretty fast.”

Fae whined, squirming away from Mark. “Looks like someone needs a nap.” He said, letting you take her from him.

“I know sweetheart. Grab her blanket for me?” You asked Mark, letting Fae get comfortable in your arms. 

Once the blanket was draped over her, she was fast asleep. And hopefully she would sleep through the rest of the flight.

 

Fae clung to Mark’s shirt as the four of you made your way to your hotel rooms. Cathy had a room across your room.  
“Are you ready for four days of awesomeness?” You asked Mark, pulling out the room key to unlock the door. 

“Heck yeah, I am. It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Don’t rub it in, will you?” Cathy asked.

“But you’ll be able to sight see with our daughter. Unless you want to sit in at the panels?” You glanced at your best friend.

“I’ll go to the panel, that’s when- Saturday right?”

Mark nodded, lightly bouncing Fae in his arms. “It’s going to be the best one yet.”

“Oh, I know. Full of fun and surprises. People getting engaged.” Mark shot her a glance. “What? I’ve seen panels. It’s cute when people get engaged there.”

You laughed, opening the door. “We should get some rest before the madness starts.”

“Agreed.” Cathy muttered. “I’ll see you three in the morning. If you’re awake.” She waved goodbye before slipping into her room. 

 

The convention center was jam packed. For it on my being the first day, there were a lot of people. It was amazing to see people in their cosplays and being in character. Some of them you recognized but others were still strange and unfamiliar.

Cathy had Fae for the day, mostly because she was still asleep when the two of you woke up. Traveling must have worn her out. But there were no complaints from Cathy, who was still very tired herself and was more than likely going to stay in.

Mark was leaning against a wall as he looked over the schedule for Thursday. “There isn’t much going on. All the good stuff happens on Fridays and Saturdays after four. Except for our panel, that’s at two.”

You glanced at him before glancing around again. “Why don’t we just pop into some random panels? Maybe send out a tweet to do a meet and greet in the park down the street? Also, there’s a gaming room, so I thought you might want to check that out. It’s right next to the dealers room and the eating area.”

“You seem to know a lot about this convention.” He said, closing the booklet and slipping it back into your bag.  
“I may have been here once before. I’m glad they kept this center too, the con grows every year, so it’ll fit them.” You admitted. “Plus, I lived in Atlanta for three years, remember?”

“I forget I have a Southern girl on my hands.” He said, wrapping his arm around your waist. 

“Give me your phone, I’m going to sent out that tweet for the meet and greet at… mmm, three.” You said, holding your hand out for his phone. 

“I’ll do it you send out your own.” He smiled, nervously. “That way it isn’t a hassle.”

 

The dealers room was the best part there were so many things that caught your attention. Especially the figurines since you had a few of your own. But the ones you really wanted were not available. 

The gaming room, which was in the same room as the eating area and the dealers room, was separated by a black curtain half your height. There were several systems, ranging from the newer ones to old school arcade games. None of them really caught your attention. 

But the best part was the eating area (even if it was expensive as all hell. Seriously, a personal pizza was nearly six dollars and did not include the drink). It wasn’t a big selection, but you didn’t mind, just as long as you had something to eat.

Mark held onto your hand for his life, afraid you were going to get lost in the gigantic room (which you knew like the back of your hand by now). But he was mostly worried someone was going to ruin the surprise he had for you, which wasn’t planned to be unveiled until the ending of the panel.

“Hun, loosen your grip a bit, I’m not going to get lost. Either way, our meet and greet is in a few. We should head to the park.”

 

You sat down on the always soft green grass. It was always taken care of. It was the best part of Centennial Park. You could have sat down by the Rings of Water, but you preferred the beaming sunlight.

Mark sat down next to you, smiling at the look on your face. “Oh, look, here come the people.” He said, smiling and waving at them. 

“You mean your people?” You corrected, glancing at the group. “I’ll just sit here, next to you.” You leaned against his arm and giggled.

“Honestly, the two of you are sickening.” Cathy said from behind you. Fae was in her stroller, suckling her thumb. 

“Caths! We thought you were going to stay in bed the entire day.”

“Fae wanted to go out and I couldn’t say no to her. So here we are.” She said, taking Fae out of the stroller. 

“You wanted to spend time with your parents?” You asked, taking her from Cathy. “I feel so honored.” You rested her against your chest, holding her in case she wanted to topple over. 

“They brought the baby!” A female called from the group.  
“Looks like Fae is famous now. You hear that? You have fans.” Mark placed a kiss on her cheek.

Within seconds, pictures were being taken and people were asking to hold Fae. If they looked old enough, you let them, but not too long because she would grow tired and start whining.

“Are you going to the panel on Saturday?” Someone asked, but before you could answer, someone else answered for you. “Of course she is! She has to go!”

“That.” You pointed to the person who answered for you. “You would get a sticker if I had any. Instead, you get a kiss for Baby Girl Fae.” You looked down at your daughter. “Can you blow them a kiss for getting the answer right?” Fae hid away from the person. “She’s a little shy.”

 

Thursday and Friday were laid back. All four of you took random visits to panels. As well as to some local sights around the area. Including the aquarium. Seeing your daughter’s excitement was more than enough to make your day.

As Saturday approached, you knew Mark had something planned, you just couldn’t put your finger on it like always.  
Cathy sat in the front row with Fae in her stroller. You were on stage with Mark as a guest on his panel. A few other gamers were up there as well, including Sean, better known as Jacksepticeye. He was as giddy as ever.  
The group was going to play Cards Against Humanity. Even though the panel was set at Teen, there were few kids were accompanied by their parents. You were going to win this game if it was the last thing you did. But you didn’t win, you were two points off, Jack winning the entire game then rubbing it in your face.

Next were questions your job was to walk around with a microphone and choose people to ask questions. Mark did the same thing. It was funnier when he did it. Running awkwardly, tripping over things, giving high fives, and stammering.

Fifty minutes passed and Mark switched out with Jack who was just as funny as Mark was. It was a competition at that point. 

“____,” Mark said, “Keep doing what you’re doing. Jack, come on up.” He said, smiling a bit. “Before we forget, is there anyone who would like to ask a certain someone a special question.” 

The entire room was silent, people looking around, wondering what was going to happen. Jack cleared his throat before getting down on one knee and jokingly asking Mark to share his subscribers with him. Mark rejected of course. 

“No one? That’s a first. Okay, ____, you can come up now.” Jack smiled, jumping off the stage and taking the microphone from you as you made your way up. 

“We have time for one more question. And I know exactly who to ask.” Jack said, making his way towards Cathy.

Cathy stood up and waved, taking the microphone when Jack handed it to her. “Hi, everyone. As many of you know, ___, is my best friend. And I love her so much, that on the flight, a woman asked if we were lovers. Then asked if Mark, she and I were in a relationship. Crazy right? Anyway, enough of that, ask the thing!”

Someone working on the staff handed you a microphone, which confused you. The projector in the front turned on, projecting the words, ‘Will you marry me?’. 

“I’m afraid to turn around.” You spoke into the microphone. 

“Turn around, you won’t regret it.” Jack said, smiling happily. 

“Please turn around!” The crowd shouted.

You did what they said, turning around and reading the question on the screen. “No. Are you serious?” You asked, looking around when your eyes landed on Mark who was on one knee. He was already miced up. 

“It’s serious,___. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?” Mark asked. 

The crowd fell silent, awaiting your answer. “No way, you’re kidding…” You repeated. 

“I’m not kidding. I’m serious. Will you marry me?”

You fell silent, mulling everything over. “Of course I will, yes!” The crowd erupted in cheers as Mark picked you up, kissing you.

Mark slipped the ring on your finger and that’s when Jack jumped back onto the stage. “And that’s the end of the panel! Let’s give another round of applause for the happy couple!” He called, clapping along with the crowd. “Have a safe trip!”


	20. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting onto the right track! It's a little off schedule but better now than never! I hope I don't disappoint! 
> 
> Thank you all for your patience

“Hold her for a bit.” You said, slipping Fae into Cathy’s arms. The little girl nuzzled against the woman, quietly babbling to her. You run your hand over your face, you hurry across the park. A familiar face tugged at your gut. You just wanted to punch their stupid face. Bash it in, but you had a little girl to take care of. 

“I swear, everywhere I go, I see your fucking face.” You snarled, stopping in front of your ex boyfriend. “What? Are you going to tell me you moved in across from us?” He stayed silent, a smug smirk on his face. “You’re disgusting you know? Ugh, I should just call the cops…” You pulled your phone out of your back pocket. 

The moment you enter your passcode, your phone is smacked out of your hand. You looked up at Eric, a shocked expression on your face. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” You asked, glaring at him.

“I saw your videos. Yours and your little boyfriend. Not bad. But I can tell it’s all a scam. To get views. Sympathy.” He grabbed your hands, holding them together. “That child doesn’t even look like him.”

“Let go of me, you sick bastard!” You hissed through your teeth.

“I won’t until you agree to come back to me!” He pleaded, shaking your wrists. “He doesn’t deserve you! Not now and not ever!” You stay silent, trying to think of something to say, but words are failing you.

He grinned, his hands moving from your wrists to your shoulders. The look on his face makes your stomach turn.   
“You’re so beautiful, you know?” He asked softly, rubbing your shoulders. The motion caused shivers to run down your back and not the good kind. “I wonder if your little boyfriend would like it if I do this?” 

Eric leaned in, brushing his rough lips against your lips. You want to gag. And secretly, you hope Mark finishes his work out soon. That way he can kick his face in. 

“You’re a porcelain doll, ___. You deserve to be cherished and placed on a throne. Waited on hand a foot.” 

His lips are back on yours. His tongue trying to force his way inside. Something snapped. You’ve had enough of sitting back and letting Mark handle everything. It’s time you stood your ground.

While he’s focus on trying to force his tongue in your mouth, you bring you knee back and then forward. Your knee connecting with his groin. Eric groaned, pushing you away. “You fucking bitch!” He shouted, bending over in pain.

“No!” You shouted, anger in your eyes. “You’re the fucking bitch! I’m done sitting back and letting Mark handle all the dirty work! You’re going to regret ever coming to Los Angeles, you disgusting creep!” You turned sharply, trying to spot where your phone landed. Hopefully it isn’t shattered.

Halfway there, a pair of strong arms picked you up. You exclaimed in fear. It’s not Mark. It’s Eric. 

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?” He hisses in your ear. His breath is bitter, a hint of alcohol along with something else. “Your little act didn’t do much. So, you’re out of luck.” You can tell he is grinning. “I’m going to end you, right fucking here.”

“Good luck with that, you shit.” You hissed back, voice filled with hatred as you turned to face him. “But there’s too many witnesses here and your disgusting ass will go straight to fucking jail.”

“Oh, I know. But I don’t give two shits about that. Because if I can’t have you, then nobody can!” You watched as he pulled a knife from his back pocket. That was his entire plan. To kill you so Mark wouldn’t be able to be with you. He had lost it.

“You’re fucking crazy!” You shouted, taking several steps back. You needed to get away from him. You needed to call for help. You backed up into someone.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Mark’s voiced asked in a threatening voice, a hand on your shoulder. You glanced up at him quickly. You can tell he’s upset.   
“God! What is up with you and always being in the way!” Eric shouted, waving the knife around. “If you don’t leave, I’ll hurt the two of you.” 

“Is that a threat? And in the public park too? You’ve really got some balls, you know that right?”

“Mark, don’t encourage him…” your voice is soft as you keep looking forward. He gave your shoulder a soft squeeze, letting you know that everything is fine.

“You know it’s not going to be a pretty picture either. Cathy called the cops when she noticed ____ acting weird. And there they are now.”

“You bothering this nice couple?” The officer asked, his hand on his gun when he noticed the knife.

“Actually, he was. And it wasn’t pretty either.” Mark said, glancing at the officer. “He was threatening my wife and I.”  
“And in a public park nonetheless. Buddy, you’ve got balls to this. Come on, put the knife down and we won’t have to hurt you.”

“But I-“ Eric shifted the knife to his other her hand, glancing at you. “But I have to have her. She’s mine! This guy took her from me!”

“Eric! Get over yourself!” You shouted, your stomach turning. “What we had ended over two years ago! You can’t keep obsessing over me!” 

Eric swallowed, his right eye twitching. “No! I have to have you! And these cops aren’t going to stop me.”

“We’re going to need to some back up.” The officer spoke into his walkie-talkie. His partner replied with the confirmation and that he and another officer were on their way.

“I need her! I need her!” He pointed the knife at Mark. “I’m taking you out first!”

The officer held his hands out. “Son, enough. It isn’t worth it. She wasn’t happy with you. Look at her, she’s happy. Isn’t that what you would want? For her happiness? Do you two have any children?”

You nod stiffly. “We have a little girl. Ten months old.”

The officer smiled. “Do you really want that little girl to grow up without her parents? To grow up hating you, wishing for your death every single moment of her life?” Eric hesitated. “If not, put the knife down.” The other two officers arrived, their guns out of their holsters. “Please.”  
Eric dropped the knife, holding his hands up. The officer is quick and handcuffed him. “Eren, take their report. I’m going to take him in.”

Eren nodded, pulling out a notepad. The questions are quick and last no more than twenty minutes. You even asked to get a restraining order, that way he’s away from your family. Eren nodded, jotting that down before thanking you for your time.

Mark sighed, resting his forehead against your shoulder. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah…” your voice is soft and barely above a whisper. Tears started rolling down your cheeks. Mark wrapped his arms around your abdomen. 

“We’ll be fine. There’s no way he can get o us or our little girl. He’s out of our lives.” He straightened up and pressed a kiss to your cheek. The feel of his stubble is reassuring, but it does little to calm you. Yes, he’s gone, but you’re still terrified.


	21. I Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I think this story has reached the conclusion. Maybe a chapter or so left.

Your hands run over the beautiful fabric of the dress which now decorates your body. It’s an off white, almost an crème color. It’s a heart line, showing a tasteful amount of cleavage. The bottom half of the dress pools around your feet. Your hair is pinned up, decorated with a few gold gemstones. A smile formed on your lips. Today’s the day. Today you marry Mark. And nothing would make you happier. 

There’s two sharp knocks on the wooden door. You looked back. “Come in.” The door opened and Cathy walked in with Fae in her arms. A smile formed on your lips. “How’s everything out there?” You asked. 

“Everything is going fine actually, nothing crazy. And I thought it was going to be crazy too. Guess not.” She shrugged. 

“And how’s Mommy’s Flower Girl doing?” Fae is preoccupied with the white flowers on her dress. Too busy to even pay any attention to you. You sighed. “Okay, that’s what I get for choosing a pretty dress.”

Cathy laughed. “It’s beautiful actually. And she’s just admiring it. Because in a few months she won’t be able to wear it. Right, Fae?”

Fae looked up and gave a soft, “Yeah.” You smiled and gently poke her tummy. She giggled in return.

“Have you seen your Daddy yet? I bet he looks handsome.” 

"Daddy pretty. Mommy pretty.” She said, looking at your dress. She’s probably interested in the colors and how shiny it is. 

The past year has been rough but everyone’s life has ups and downs. And honestly, you’re glad you have such an amazing guy by your side. Not to mention that you both have a little girl together. A combination of the two of you. Fae is now a year old. She’s walking and slowly learning to talk. And it feels like only yesterday she was born, fighting for her life. The very thought brings tears to your eyes. “Don’t start crying.” Cathy warned. “You save those tears for the ceremony, you’re going to love it. I mean, your best friend did put it all together. So it’s your dream wedding for sure.”

“I hope to god it’s not the dream wedding I wanted in middle school.” You muttered.

“Have some faith in me will you?”

There’s a knock at the door. “Ma’am, the guests are all here and are getting angsty. I hope you’re dressed and ready to start a whole new chapter of your life.”

Cathy smiled. “That’s our cue to get the heck out of here. Knock them dead.” She said. Fae waved bye-bye to you as Cathy carried her out.

Taking in a deep breath, you calm your racing heart. This is it. No going back. You look down and take another deep breath. 

The door opened and your dad came in. “Are you ready, Princess?” He asked, holding his hand out towards you. You looked up, determination in your eyes. Nodding, you take his hand.

 

“Stand here.” A young woman instructed you. And you do as told. “Bride is in position,” She spoke into her headset. “And the father of the bride. We’re ready to start whenever you give us the signal.”

The large wooden doors slowly opened, revealing a Chapel decorated entirely of white. Mark’s mom is standing off to the side with Fae, making sure she doesn’t run off or trip when she makes her way down the alter. 

“Ready?” You dad said, glancing at you. You give a small nod and let him lead you down the alter. 

 

The look in Mark’s eyes is more than to keep you from crying. He kept gazing at you in a loving manner. And that’s when it finally hit you. You really love this man and you’re willing to do anything to make him happy. And to believe you’re marrying him. 

Mark leaned in and whispered, “you know, we don’t have to stay for the reception. We can always take off and enjoy our two weeks as a family.” 

You feel your cheeks darken with embarrassment. He’s going to tease you in such a way? Playfully, you hit him. The guest laughed at the manner. 

“I am not going to give into your temptations. Not again.” You said, glaring at him a bit. “Last time was an exception. Now? Not so much.”

“What happened that’s changed it?” He asked.

“For one, we have a daughter. And if you think I’m going to leave her alone, you’re wrong.”

“I’m kidding.” He said, kissing your forehead. “We’re taking her of course. Our honeymoon is going to be child friendly.”

The priest cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I’m proud to announce the new happy couple! Marriage is not something that will be easy, but seeing how the two of you interact, I think it’ll go swimmingly between the two of you.” He smiled and held his hands up. “And with that, you may kiss the bride!”

Mark wrapped his arms around your waist, clearly have been waiting for this exact moment. His lips crash against yours, kissing you with a great force that you have to brace yourself against him with your hands. 

The guest raptured with applause mixed with cheers. Mark pulled away from you, grinning from ear to ear. He took your hand and led you down the few steps. “Ready to go?” Still shocked by the kiss, you just nod. Mark laughed and led you back down the alter. 

 

You and Cathy didn’t give Mark the opportunity to run away with you. Cathy had everything planned out. As soon as you left the Chapel, you were to get changed into a dress that was much more comfortable for the reception that she, once again put together.

“Stop moving so much.” Cathy instructed. She’s removing the pins from your hair and letting it come down in a waterfall of curls. 

You whined. “It just hurts.” You whined again, bouncing your knee. 

“I think you’re just in a rush to go see you’re husband.” She teased, a knowing smile on her face.

“Can you please hurry up? I don’t want people thinking something bad of me. And I haven’t been separated from Fae for this long.”

“It’s been ten minutes. Stop exaggerating.” Cathy pulled the last pin from your hair. “There. Now go out there and stun your husband.”

“I’m going to knock him dead!” 

 

Fae is the first one to waddle up to you. Her little hands grasp onto your dress as she looks around. She’s probably looking for her dad or maybe her grandmother. Giving her a small smile, you picked her up. “What’s wrong my, Princess?” You asked, pushing a few strands of hair away from her face.

“Bad lady.” She said, pointing towards the crowd. You let your eyes scan the crowd for whoever she’s looking for. That’s when you spot her. Your mother. 

“That’s… that’s your other Grandma, Fae. Mommy isn’t too happy with her. Do you want to go with your other Grandma?” 

“____.” Your mother’s voice is cold as always. “I heard you were getting married. Any reason you didn’t invite your own mother. How rude.” Her eyes drifted towards Fae.

“I didn’t invite you for a reason. And you know. Today is a special day, and I don’t need you ruining it.”

She snorted. “Honestly, I don’t see why you’re marrying that guy of yours. Or why you decided to keep this child.” 

“Because I love my husband and my daughter. Now, if you and I had a good relationship and you wouldn’t question every single thing I do, you’d know that they’re good people.”

“Eric called me and said you had him arrested. I don’t see why though. He went to college.”

“Mom! That is enough! I will not have you badmouth my family. What Eric did was a crime. He threatened to kill me, which I’m sure is frowned upon in several places. He had to go to jail.”

“He was only trying to get back what was his. Something you’ll never understand.”

“Just stop. This is serious. You’re treating me like I’m a possession. Honestly, all you care about is reputation. I’m sick and tired of it. You weren’t there. For anything. And I hate it because I keep wanting to forgive you. But then I remember why I can’t stand you. Because you only care about yourself. So if you could, please leave before I have security take you away.”

“You really should leave, Karin. Please. You’re doing more damage than good.” Your father said, taking Fae from you. “Her husband is a great man. Does everything in his power to keep his family happy. He helps everyone except himself. Our daughter does that part. And I’m surprised she didn’t turn out like you. And frankly, I’m glad about that. But as she said, she no longer needs you. So leave. Her husband is waiting for her.”

Your mother makes a disgusted face. “I didn’t want to be here anyway. All of you disgust me.” And with that, she walked away.

A sigh of relief left your lips as you looked back at your dad. He saved you from fighting with your mom. 

“You don’t need to thank me. I knew she was bound to show up sooner or later. She’s always looking around for gossip. My mother might have told her about the wedding. But enough of that, I need you to be happy. You just got married! Go enjoy it. I’ll watch my granddaughter.”

You kissed his cheek and went to find your husband. When you find him, he’s talking to a few friends, gushing about you and your daughter. 

“Hey.” You said, tugging at his arm. His friend said their goodbyes before scattering. 

He grinned and kissed your forehead. “Hey my beautiful wife.”

You laughed. “We actually did it.” You said.

“I told you I’d be with you no matter what. We were in it for the long haul.”

You kissed him lightly. “And that’s our motto. In for the long haul. I love you, Mark.”

“I love you too.” He grinned happily, his arm wrapping around your waist. 

In the distance, the sun is setting. One of the best things of having an evening wedding. The setting sun is what wraps it all up, a reminder that the days will continue no matter what.


	22. Family

Fae squealed as she dodged from your hands. You’re trying to get her into the tub so she could be bathed and put to bed. It’s been six months since the wedding and everything has been going swimmingly. Except for Fae being at the age where she doesn’t want to take baths. Mark currently in his room recording a few episodes. And is in no place to help you catching a toddler. 

“Fae, please. If you let me bathe you, we’ll take you to Disney Land in a few days. But for today, I’ll give you a snack.” You said as a last resort. 

Fae stopped dead in her tracks and looked at you from the corner of the room. “Chips?” She asked. 

“No, not chips. Something healthier than that. Grapes. You like grapes.” 

She placed her hand on the wall and then nodded. “Okay.” 

You grinned in victory as you pick her up and hurry towards the bathroom before she can even change her mind.

 

By the time you’re done bathing Fae, Mark is in the kitchen, rehydrating. He smiled at you when you enter the kitchen. “Is our little monster all clean and ready for bed?” He asked.

You gave him a small sigh. “She’s squeaky clean but not ready for bed. I had to bribe her in order for her to get into the bath.”

“What did you bribe her with? Food? A puppy?”

“I did bribe her with food but also Disney. But she’s still little, she’s not going to remember me making that ‘promise’.”

“We have a little devil on our hands.” He said, leaning against the counter. “But I still love her no matter what.”

Fae waddled into the kitchen, her expression on her face telling you know that’s she’s more than ready for sleep. 

“Okay, little munchkin, I think it’s time for bed.” You said, picking her up. “Your snack can wait until tomorrow. However, sleep cannot.”

“Good night you little bugaboo.” Mark said, kissing her cheek. Fae giggled at the feel of his facial hair. 

 

Once she was tucked in, you slipped out of the room and headed towards the living room where Mark is lounging.  
“Do you still have to record videos?” You asked, propping your elbows on the back of the couch. 

“I finished the ones for today. Well, the ones I planned to record. I have to edit them tomorrow and maybe record a few more. Why?”

You cleared your throat. “Because I need to talk to you real quick.”

“Please tell me you’re still happy with our marriage.”  
You laughed. “Yes, I’m still very happy with our marriage. But it’s nothing bad actually.” You admitted. 

“Then what’s the matter? You seem nervous. And you’re making me nervous too.”

“Uh, well, I’m pregnant.” 

He blinked. “You are… you are?!” He exclaimed, shifting so he was facing you. 

You nodded. “I went to the doctor yesterday and he confirmed it. So, we’re expecting our second child.” 

“That’s- I can’t – that’s the best news ever!” He kissed your forehead, smiling happily. “Fae is going to be an amazing sister. And I’m going to make sure you don’t overwork. And no traveling either.”

You laughed, patting his arm. “Quiet, you’re going to wake Fae. And if she does wake up, you’re going to put her back to bed.”

“But I’m just so happy! This is the best news ever!” His hands moved to your tummy. “We’re going to be parents again.”

“Are you ready for another long haul?” You asked softly. 

“I’m more than ready for this haul.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this journey! But, this time, this journey is officially over. I think this is a great place to end it. Theyre all happy and I'm sure you're all happy. Once again, thank you so much for your support and sticking with me on this ride.


End file.
